• Chih-Chieh Chang, Kuan-Ying Hsieh, Su-Ting Hsu, Yu-Yuan Wang, Frank Huang-Chih Chou, and Joh-Jong Huang.
• Department of Addiction Prevention, Kaohsiung Municipal Kai-Syuan Psychiatric Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
• J Formos Med Assoc. 2024 Mar 22.

AbstractBiological disasters pose a growing challenge in the 21st century, significantly impacting global society. Taiwan has experienced such disasters, resulting in long-term consequences like loss of life, trauma, economic decline, and societal disruptions. Post-disaster, mental health issues such as fear, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and stress surge, accompanied by increased suicide rates. The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (also called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)) pandemic, recognized as a biological disaster, triggered lockdowns and quarantines in Taiwan, causing lifestyle changes, economic recession, and so on. These shifts may elevate uncertainty about the future, intensifying mental stress and leading to a rise in various mental illnesses. This article reviews mental health studies conducted in Taiwan during the pandemic, emphasizing the need to integrate this research for future preparedness and interventions regarding the mental health impacts of biological disasters, including COVID-19. Further research is essential to explore long-term effects, interventions, and generalizability.Copyright © 2024 Formosan Medical Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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