The Unaddressed Behavioral Health Aspect During the Coronavirus Pandemic

The 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) pneumonia has been declared a pandemic, citing more than 118,000 cases of the coronavirus illness in more than 110 countries and territories around the world. Public health emergencies have been demonstrated to have an impact on the behavioral health of the affected population as they may experience fear, anxiety, anger and post-traumatic stress disorder as consequences of their experiences. These effects may persist among affected individuals long after the outbreak has been controlled. To date, data on the behavioral distress and psychiatric morbidity of those suspected or diagnosed with the 2019-nCoV and their treating health professionals are lacking. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has outlined some behavioral health guide for affected individuals, how best to respond to psychological challenges during the crisis is not known. There is an urgent need to provide robust and timely psychosocial support in the face of such an outbreak.