Abstract

IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS IN AFFECTED PATIENTS: AN ONLINE SURVEY, IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

*Dr. Sreya Sanil, Dr. Sandhra Sebastian, Dr. Ian Camerson Paiva, Dr. Aksa Simon and Meppil Baby

ABSTRACT

Background The outbreak of COVID- 19 has become a major threat to the citizens all over the world since 2019. Due to the emergence of COVID-19 it has lead to high levels of emotional conflict among people and thus caused widespread fear and anxiety among the various populations. Objective  To assess the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress using DASS-42 scale.  To evaluate the clinical presentation and its management in COVID-19 patients. Materials and methods: An online survey was conducted over a period of 6 months, in order to analyze the psychological impact in COVID-19 patients with 103 total responses. Results: The prevalence of anxiety, stress and depression was found to be 75.8%, 51.4% and 50.5%respectively. A significant association between age with depression and stress were found in our study. The main clinical symptoms of COVID-19 patients were fever (74.76%), cough (63.11%). Also there was a strong positive correlation between the CT and Severity score. Based on COVID severity category and symptoms different therapeutic class of drugs have been prescribed and among them majority of the patients were advised to take vitamins (98.6%), antibiotics (86.41%) followed by anticoagulants, antiviral etc. Conclusion: The existence of such a high prevalence and severity of psychological disorder among COVID-19 patients underscores the need for serious attention to mental health status of these patients.COVID-19 patients were observed with significant burden of symptoms. Early recognition of symptoms and their management can significantly reduce morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19, Prevalence, DASS-42.