Pandemic taxed mental health of medical workers in China, survey finds

There may be lessons to be learned in China beyond flattening the curve. A six-day survey starting Jan. 29 of nearly 1,300 health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic revealed that a significant proportion were bearing a mental health burden in the form of depression (50%), anxiety (45%), insomnia (34%), and distress (70%). Some people experienced more severe symptoms than others: Women, nurses, workers in Wuhan, and clinicians directly diagnosing, treating, or providing nursing care to patients with suspected or confirmed Covid-19 reported more distress. “Special interventions to promote mental well-being in health care workers exposed to Covid-19 need to be immediately implemented, with women, nurses, and frontline workers requiring particular attention,” the study authors wrote.