Pathophysiology of SARS-CoV2 Mediated Depression, Therapeutics, and Consequences: A Comprehensive Narrative

Abstract

Abstract: The corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2), belongs to emerging and reemerging diseases, which was first identified and reported in Wuhan, China, during December 2019. The genetic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 was similar to SARS virus, a β-corona virus. The epidemiologicalstudies suggest that the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 mainly occurs from an infected person to others through close contact with the respiratory droplets or by having contact with SARS-CoV-2adhering toobjects and surfaces. The incubation period ranges from 5 to14 days. During COVID-19, the occurrence of fever, dry cough, tiredness, aches, chest pain, conjunctivitis, diarrhea, headache, difficulty in breathing or short breath, loss of taste, smell, rashes on the skin,andsore throat.Some reports indicated that males exhibited lower scores than females, the younger populations displayed increased symptoms, Chinese/Taiwanese people registered only scarce symptoms and Canadians experienced more symptoms. The results of some studiesindictaed that COVID-19 significantly impacted on depression whereas job insecurity impacted on anxiety and depression. The risk factors of COVID-19 pandemic include steep rise in the degree of fear, worry, mainly the health care providers, infants, pregnant ladies, older adults, patients receiving treatment in hospitals, development of psychosomatic disorders including depression with serious immunological consequences in infectedindividuals. The diagnostics to detect the presence of corona virus involves ELISA and RT-PCR. There is no specific treatment available to eradicate COVID-19. The therapeutics used to treat COVID 19 exhibited severe side effects. Recently, some Indian traditional medicinal plants have shown promises to reduce the risk of viral infection and also boost immunity of an invidual.This paper presents an overview of the current status of depression in the SARS CoV2 infected people and the measures required to overcome COVID-19 induced depression in patients even after recovery.