MHM Magazine

5. access to childcare during increased work hours and school closures, 6. support for other personal and family needs as work hours and demands increase (food, hydration, lodging, transportation), 7. being able to provide competent medical care if deployed to a new area (e.g., non-ICU nurses having to function as ICU nurses), and 8. lack of access to up- to-date information and communication. It’s now well recognised that neglecting psychological distress may result in psychiatric pathology. As example Gilleen and co-workers in the UK conducted a survey amongst 2773 healthcare workers containing measures of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and stress. They found nearly a third of healthcare workers reported moderate to severe levels of anxiety and depression, and the number reporting very high symptoms was more than quadruple that pre-COVID-19. They also found several controllable factors were associated with the most severe level of psychiatric symptoms. These were: insufficient personal protective equipment availability, workplace preparation, training and communication, and higher workload. Being female, ‘front line’, previous psychiatric diagnoses, traumatic events, and being an allied HCW or manager were also significantly associated with severe psychiatric symptoms. Conversely Gilleen and co-workers reported that sharing stress, resilience and ethical support for treatment decisions were significantly associated with low psychiatric symptoms. With the overwhelming evidence there is no doubt the COVID-19 pandemic presents unprecedented psychological threats to the well- being of all healthcare workers. Schwartz and co-authors in their review emphasise that the COVID-19 pandemic requires an evidence-based approach to developing and deploying comprehensive clinician mental health support. They conducted a narrative review of 96 articles addressing clinician mental health A letter to the Editor of the South African Medical Journal with the title ‘South African health professionals’ state of wellbeing during the emergence of COVID-19’ attempts to explore some aspects related to the topic. The need for psychological support for healthcare professionals in dealing with the pandemic on multiple levels, with nurses being particularly vulnerable clearly needs attention[M1] . 2 | MENTALHEALTHMATTERS | Issue 6 | 2021 MHM