Substance Use Disorders and Behavioral Addictions During the COVID-19 Pandemic and COVID-19-Related Restrictions

COVID-19 was first identified in Wuhan, China in December of 2019 and appeared in the United States 1 month later. Between the onset of the pandemic and January 13, 2021, over 92 million people have tested positive for the virus and over 1.9 million people have died globally. Virtually every country...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Frontiers in psychiatry Vol. 12; p. 653674
Main Authors:	Avena, Nicole M, Simkus, Julia, Lewandowski, Anne, Gold, Mark S, Potenza, Marc N
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 16-04-2021
Subjects:	addictive behaviors COVID-19 pandemic food addiction gambling mental health services Psychiatry substance-related disorders gambling COVID-19 pandemic addictive behaviors mental health services food addiction substance-related disorders
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	COVID-19 was first identified in Wuhan, China in December of 2019 and appeared in the United States 1 month later. Between the onset of the pandemic and January 13, 2021, over 92 million people have tested positive for the virus and over 1.9 million people have died globally. Virtually every country in the world has been impacted by this virus. Beginning in March 2020, many U.S. state governments enforced a "quarantine" to respond to the growing health crisis. Citizens were required to remain at home; schools, restaurants, and non-essential businesses were forced to close, and large gatherings were prohibited. Americans' lives were transformed in a span of days as daily routines were interrupted and people were shuttered indoors. Mounting fear and unpredictability coupled with widespread unemployment and social isolation escalated anxiety and impacted the mental health of millions across the globe. Most (53%) U.S. adults reported that the coronavirus outbreak has had a negative impact on their mental health, including inducing or exacerbating use of alcohol, drugs, gambling and overeating as coping mechanisms. In this paper, we will examine substance use and addictive behaviors that have been used to manage the stress and uncertainty wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. We review the changing treatment landscape as therapy pivoted online and telemedicine became the norm.
Bibliography:	This article was submitted to Addictive Disorders, a section of the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry Reviewed by: Ruben David Baler, National Institutes of Health (NIH), United States; Domenico De Berardis, Azienda Usl Teramo, Italy Edited by: Giuseppe Bersani, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
ISSN:	1664-0640 1664-0640
DOI:	10.3389/fpsyt.2021.653674