Mental health status of the intensive care unit healthcare workers in an university hospital at the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

COVID-19 has quickly led to a global pandemic after WHO announced it as a new viral pneumonia on December 31, 2019 (1). A pandemic is defined as a disease or infectious factor that occurs worldwide or in a wide area which crosses international borders and affects a large number of people (2). Mental health is also significantly affected during pandemic periods as well as physical health (3). When the studies about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health status of healthcare work- ers are examined, a study by Lai et al. in China revealed that depression, anxiety, insomnia, and stress symptoms appeared in a significant portion of healthcare workers, particularly in women, nurses and frontline healthcare workers (4). In the literatüre, it was also stated that health- care workers, especially those working in the emergency department, intensive care unit, and infectious diseases services, were at high risk for psychiatric disorders