LAUSR

D iagnoses of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in close to 200 countries have led the World Health Organization to declare it a global pandemic. To date, most actions related to COVID-19 have understandably focused on containing or mitigating the spread of the virus, testing new treatments, and seeking to develop vaccines. Much less attention has been directed towards the psychological consequences associated with the pandemic and the measures considered or adopted to combat its life-threatening consequences, even as distress has increased with growing numbers of individuals testing positive, seeing loved ones die, and with uncertainty about when and how a return to previous ways of life might be possible. We outline some potential adverse psychological consequences and offer suggestions for their prevention or mitigation.