Impact from COVID-19 Isolation on Mental Health in NPA Regions

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The indirect consequences of Covid-19 on the mental health of the general population will be considerable. First, anxiety, depression, alcohol misuse and suicidality are likely to increase in the general population. Grief, loneliness and isolation will play a role in all of these. Children and older people may be particularly at risk. Second, such impacts will be amplified for already vulnerable groups who rely on other people and organisations for care and support.  However, the voluntary and community sectors have been devastated by the loss of finances and staff, and the dismantling of infrastructure. Most governments will have moved quickly to anticipate the wide range of mental health impacts and to identify potentially mitigating solutions. Thus, while covid response committees and working groups have been established across the NPA and other regions, collecting information and formulating plans, little is known about their content and the strategic priorities.  The public health initiatives across the NPA, evidence of good practice and respective monitoring systems will be systematically identified and collected by Re-MIND. Some will be generic, others will be tailored to local needs and/or will have innovative aspects that can be applied elsewhere. There will be considerable  benefits for countries and regions in sharing these strategic plans across the NPA.  The thematic areas are interrelated, requiring interdisciplinary solutions and input from academia, health and technology. Re-MIND will undertake (1) a rapid literature review (2) collate strategic plans and policy documents from national and regional public health departments; (3) network with and interview key stakeholder groups and experts across the NPA; and (4) compile a report on our findings.  Throughout this process, we will build up contacts through the NPA COVID19 response group and work with the 'umbrella team'.

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