A nationwide survey of psychological distress among Chinese people in the COVID-19 epidemic: implications and policy recommendations

Gen Psychiatr. 2020 Mar 6;33(2):e100213. doi: 10.1136/gpsych-2020-100213. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic emerged in Wuhan, China, spread nationwide and then onto half a dozen other countries between December 2019 and early 2020. The implementation of unprecedented strict quarantine measures in China has kept a large number of people in isolation and affected many aspects of people's lives. It has also triggered a wide variety of psychological problems, such as panic disorder, anxiety and depression. This study is the first nationwide large-scale survey of psychological distress in the general population of China during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Keywords: anxiety; depression; disease notification; panic disorder; psychological trauma.

Publication types

  • Editorial