The COVID-19 pandemic: An opportunity to make mental health a higher public health priority Latoo, J, Haddad, PM, Mistry, M, Wadoo, O, Islam, Shariful, Jan, F, Iqbal, Y, Howseman, T, Riley, D and Alabdulla, M 2021, The COVID-19 pandemic: An opportunity to make mental health a higher public health priority, BJPsych Open, vol. 7, no. 5, pp. 1-4, doi: 10.1192/bjo.2021.1002. Attached Files Name Description MIMEType Size Downloads Title The COVID-19 pandemic: An opportunity to make mental health a higher public health priority Author(s) Latoo, J Haddad, PM Mistry, M Wadoo, O Islam, Shariful orcid.org/0000-0001-7926-9368 Jan, F Iqbal, Y Howseman, T Riley, D Alabdulla, M Journal name BJPsych Open Volume number 7 Issue number 5 Start page 1 End page 4 Total pages 4 Publisher Cambridge University Press Place of publication Cambridge, Eng. Publication date 2021 ISSN 2056-4724 2056-4724 Keyword(s) BURDEN Coronavirus disease 2019 DISORDERS epidemiology Life Sciences & Biomedicine mental health Psychiatry public health Science & Technology suicide Summary Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first recognised in December 2019. The subsequent pandemic has caused 4.3 million deaths and affected the lives of billions. It has increased psychosocial risk factors for mental illness including fear, social isolation and financial insecurity and is likely to lead to an economic recession. COVID-19 is associated with a high rate of neuropsychiatric sequelae. The long-term effects of the pandemic on mental health remain uncertain but could be marked, with some predicting an increased demand for psychiatric services for years to come. COVID-19 has turned a spotlight on mental health for politicians, policy makers and the public and provides an opportunity to make mental health a higher public health priority. We review longstanding reasons for prioritising mental health and the urgency brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, and highlight strategies to improve mental health and reduce the psychiatric fallout of the pandemic. Language eng DOI 10.1192/bjo.2021.1002 Field of Research 1103 Clinical Sciences 1117 Public Health and Health Services HERDC Research category C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal Free to Read? Yes Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30155998 Document type: Journal Article Collections: Faculty of Health School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences Open Access Collection Related Links Link Description Link to full-text (open acess) Go to link with your DU access privileges   Connect to Elements publication management system Go to link with your DU access privileges     Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright for items in DRO is owned by the author, with all rights reserved. Every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that permission has been obtained for items included in DRO. If you believe that your rights have been infringed by this repository, please contact drosupport@deakin.edu.au. Versions Version Filter Type Mon, 27 Sep 2021, 12:48:48 EST Mon, 27 Sep 2021, 18:42:48 EST Mon, 27 Sep 2021, 18:47:31 EST Sat, 16 Oct 2021, 01:32:12 EST Sat, 16 Oct 2021, 01:50:18 EST Fri, 12 Nov 2021, 05:08:07 EST Wed, 15 Dec 2021, 14:06:07 EST Wed, 15 Dec 2021, 15:32:08 EST Wed, 15 Dec 2021, 15:34:59 EST Filtered Full Citation counts:   Cited 3 times in TR Web of Science Cited 4 times in Scopus Search Google Scholar Access Statistics: 56 Abstract Views, 0 File Downloads  -  Detailed Statistics Created: Mon, 27 Sep 2021, 12:48:48 EST