Mental Health Consequences of the Pandemic

German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina & the Academy of Science of South Africa

VIRTUAL PANEL

September 2020

The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina organized a virtual panel to discuss mental health-related challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Panelists discussed the implications of the pandemic for mental health and access to treatment in Germany, South Africa, Spain, and Nigeria, addressing the following key topics:

the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health
peoples’ trust in public information and advice
protective measures of governments
other major crises, such as the 2008 financial crisis
the projected road to “recovery”

PANELISTS

Berta AusínDepartment of Personality, Evaluation and Clinical Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain — **Berta Ausín**
Department of Personality, Evaluation and Clinical Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain

Oye GurejeWHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health, University of Ibadan, Nigeria — **Oye Gureje**
WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

Andreas HeinzDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité University Hospital, Berlin, Germany — **Andreas Heinz**
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité University Hospital, Berlin, Germany

Ashraf KageeDepartment of Psychology, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa — **Ashraf Kagee**
Department of Psychology, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa

MODERATOR

Marcella RietschelCentral Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany — **Marcella Rietschel**
Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany

Please visit the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina's website for more information on this panel.

Additional Resources

"States have an obligation to respect, protect and fulfil the right to mental health, to guarantee access to rights-based treatment, care and support, and to ensure that individuals can exercise their right to decline treatment."

Dainius Pūras, UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health

POLICY BRIEF

COVID-19 and the Need for Action on Mental Health

May 2020

This UN Policy Brief highlights concerns regarding COVID-19-related psychological distress in specific populations and includes recommendations for promoting, protecting, and caring for mental health.

STATEMENT

COVID-19 has exacerbated the historical neglect of dignified mental health care, especially for those in institutions: UN expert

June 2020 | Dainius Pūras, UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health

中文 | Español

The Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, Dainius Pūras, has drawn attention to longstanding neglect of and underinvestment in mental health care, problems that are exacerbated by the pandemic.