• Oscar Galindo-Vázquez, Mónica Ramírez-Orozco, Rosario Costas-Muñiz, Luis A Mendoza-Contreras, Germán Calderillo-Ruíz, and Abelardo Meneses-García.
• Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, Servicio de Psicooncología, Ciudad de México, México.
• Gac Med Mex. 2020 Jan 1; 156 (4): 298305298-305.

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic can have important psychosocial consequences in the population.ObjectiveTo determine the levels of anxiety, depression and self-care symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in the general population.MethodOnline survey distributed over three weeks using a non-probability sampling. The PHQ-9 Patient Health Questionnaire, the GAD-7 Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale and Visual analog scale for self-care behaviors were used. Between-group (anxiety and depression) descriptive and comparison analyses were carried out.ResultsOut of 1508 included participants, 20.8% had symptoms of severe anxiety, while 27.5% showed symptoms of severe depression. Being a woman, being single, having no children, having medical comorbidities and a history of mental health care were risk factors for developing symptoms of anxiety and depression; 66 to 80 % of the population complied with self-care recommendations. A need for receiving mental health care was identified in our study population.ConclusionA larger number of individuals with moderate to severe anxiety and depression symptoms were observed than in other pandemics. COVID-19 pandemic psychological effects are considered an emerging public health problem, and implementation of programs for their care is therefore recommended.Copyright: © 2020 Permanyer.

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