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The confinement caused by the pandemic has been especially hard for young people belonging to certain vulnerable populations and it has had a greater impact on previously existing pathologies and on those that have appeared because of this period. There was an increase in the diagnosis of mood disorders and the use of medication associated with these disorders, mainly during the period of reclusion that was declared worldwide in March 2020. In addition, risk factors such as loneliness, a lack of resilience, and a lack of adequate coping strategies negatively impacted these groups.
A significant proportion of the general population has been negatively affected by home confinement, which was carried out for more than 100 days in most countries around the world [21]. The impact of this extraordinary state that modified the way of life of all people is related to social isolation, as well as a significant reduction in perceived support through networks of friends, partners, and even family [22]. Other factors that influenced the appearance of mood disorders include the loss of employment, exposure to violent environments in the home, alcohol and other substance use, abusive situations, the presence of other pathologies, etc. [23].
This rather complex scenario has led to an increase in the intake of drugs associated with anxious and depressive disorders, i.e., anxiolytics and antidepressants. Along these lines, several studies have been able to compile data on the use of drugs during and after this time of confinement [24]. During the confinement period, there was a paradoxical effect in which the prescription of anxiolytics, hypnotics, and sedatives in general decreased considerably, probably due to a reduction in health services, as well as to the fear generated in the population of going out into the street and becoming infected. Therefore, this decrease in the prescription of these drugs could be explained by the need to acquire them under medical prescription and by the decrease in access to health services [25]. However, this is not related to the symptomatology of mood disorders, which increased during these months, along with the appearance of emotions such as fear and anxiety, and the increased prevalence of pathologies such as depression and anxiety. Therefore, this seems to indicate that this decrease in the consumption of anxiolytics is not a good indicator of people’s mental health during this period. Even more so knowing that social distancing and the suspension of life habits and social interactions had a precisely predisposing effect on the vulnerability to these mental pathologies [26].
Regarding antidepressants, an increase in the prescription of these drugs was observed just before the pandemic was declared, and at the beginning of the confinement period there was a decrease in their use [27]. This can be explained by the same reason as in the case of anxiolytics and sedatives, i.e., restrictions on access to health services, as well as an evident decrease in medical visits at a time when the health priority was the devastating reality of the daily number of deaths due to COVID-19.
As a result of social isolation, the feeling of loneliness emerges as one of the main elements that has contributed to the deterioration of the psychosocial health of both groups [28]. Thus, due to various limitations and restrictions, contact with partners was drastically reduced, increasing the negative psychological effects associated with loneliness, anxiety, and depression [29]. This disruption of social activities has led to the emergence of new feelings of negativity and psychological pathologies, as well as the deterioration of existing ones in this group of people [30][31]. Stress, anxiety, negative self-perception, homesickness, and a strong feeling of helplessness and loneliness have led to a significant increase in psychological risks and uncommon diseases in this population [32][33][34].
The breakdown of daily activities in these age groups promoted the appearance of feelings of apathy. These included sports, school, and artistic activities for the younger ones, and walks, shopping, and meetings with peers for the oldest. In short, activities of an imminently social nature were paralyzed, leading to emotions of loneliness and loss of interest, associated with depression (32.4% in the population >30 years and 18.9% in the population <50 years), which transgressed certain psychosocial limits, giving way to a lack of energy and lethargy, both breeding grounds for depressive processes of a certain depth [35][36]. In addition to these important consequences, it has been shown that during the pandemic, other pathologies appeared and worsened in young people and the elderly: an increase in the youth population in the obese range, changes and disorders associated with eating disorders in adolescents, continued irritability and anger (36.4% in the population >30 years and 12.2% in the population <50 years), difficulty in attentional processes and concentration (25.7% in the population >30 years and 14.4% in the population <50 years), body pain as a consequence of prolonged maintenance of unhealthy postures, cognitive impairment and loss of mobility in the elderly, etc. [37][38][39][40].
Regarding social isolation, other factors have increased depressive and stressful tendencies among young and old people; the loss of family members and other relatives (more than 70% of the population has shown concern about this issue), the loss of their own or their parents’ jobs, the fear of death, job uncertainty, the management of new family and work relationships (teleworking), among others, have been the most prominent causes of this population’s unease [41][42]. In this sense, we should add more extreme cases, such as those existing in the homes of the youngest, such as abuse and domestic violence, which have caused a collapse in the psychosocial well-being of this vulnerable population.
The coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on our lives and from the beginning, there was a lot of information about the virus and the effect of it public health and the economy. As soon as the virus appeared, the information associated with this virus became trending online content and many bloggers, YouTube users, or people sending information via WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter have appeared [82]. However, this information was not always correct, and the World Health Organization sent out an alert about the existence of an “infodemic”, described as “an overabundance of information, some accurate and some not, that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it” [83]. According to the WHO, the infodemic generates fear and panic due to unchecked mind-boggling rumors, flamboyant news propaganda, and sensationalism [84].
Sometimes, infodemics directly affected our physical health; for example, in Iran, more than 100 persons died from alcohol poisoning due to the belief that alcohol could kill the virus [85]. Another example was with the access to hydroxychloroquine; many people have used it for decades due to its antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties; during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a supply problem due to hydroxychloroquine being proposed as a cure or preventive tool against the coronavirus [86].