Michael Liebowitz, MD: The Mental Health Impact of COVID-19

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic might be having a tremendous mental health impact across the country.

Between lockdowns and social distancing measures, the everyday life for nearly everyone in the US has been upended with no restart date in sight.

For some, this upheaval in routine is having a profound and lasting impact on their collective mental health.

Michael R Liebowitz, MD, a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University, explained in an interview with HCPLive® just how damaging the pandemic has been for both patients suffering from psychiatric disorders like anxiety and for other individuals who did not previously have a psychiatric diagnosis.

While the pandemic is having obvious health and financial impacts on many throughout the world, Liebowitz explained how the significant change in daily routine, coupled with the inability to socialize could have a major impact on all subgroups across the board.

He also said many existing psychiatric conditions have been made worse by the added stress of the circumstances.

For example, the increased stress and anxiety has forced many psychiatric patients to make a switch in medication has their previous regimen was no longer effective.