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COVID-19, Mental Health, and Chronic Illnesses: A Syndemic Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Kiran Saqib

    (School of Public health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada)

  • Afaf Saqib Qureshi

    (Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA)

  • Zahid Ahmad Butt

    (School of Public health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada)

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is an epidemiological and psychological crisis; what it does to the body is quite well known by now, and more research is underway, but the syndemic impact of COVID-19 and mental health on underlying chronic illnesses among the general population is not completely understood. Methods: We carried out a literature review to identify the potential impact of COVID-19 and related mental health issues on underlying comorbidities that could affect the overall health of the population. Results: Many available studies have highlighted the impact of COVID-19 on mental health only, but how complex their interaction is in patients with comorbidities and COVID-19, the absolute risks, and how they connect with the interrelated risks in the general population, remain unknown. The COVID-19 pandemic can be recognized as a syndemic due to; synergistic interactions among different diseases and other health conditions, increasing overall illness burden, emergence, spread, and interactions between infectious zoonotic diseases leading to new infectious zoonotic diseases; this is together with social and health interactions leading to increased risks in vulnerable populations and exacerbating clustering of multiple diseases. Conclusion: There is a need to develop evidence to support appropriate and effective interventions for the overall improvement of health and psychosocial wellbeing of at-risk populations during this pandemic. The syndemic framework is an important framework that can be used to investigate and examine the potential benefits and impact of codesigning COVID-19/non-communicable diseases (NCDs)/mental health programming services which can tackle these epidemics concurrently.

Suggested Citation

  • Kiran Saqib & Afaf Saqib Qureshi & Zahid Ahmad Butt, 2023. "COVID-19, Mental Health, and Chronic Illnesses: A Syndemic Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-13, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:4:p:3262-:d:1066640
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    References listed on IDEAS

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