3. COVID-19 and mental health
COVID-19 affected not only physical but also mental health. Patients, medical staff, and the general public were under insurmountable psychological pressure. At present, it was relevant to study the means to reduce the psychological pressure associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in susceptible groups. The role of mental stress and emotional level in the development of arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death cannot be ignored. Of late, advances in molecular cardiology have determined the role of mutations of cardiomyocyte ion channels in arrhythmia-induced death. Negative emotional reactions may increase the risk of CVD events. Myocardial ischemia triggered by mental stress manifests with increased catecholamine concentration and increased sympathetic nerve activity, resulting in reduced coronary blood flow and ischemic changes in electrocardiograph [20]. Together, these considerations reinforce the notion that the mental state of COVID-19 patients and frontline medical workers merits substantial attention. Appropriate psychological crisis intervention and psychological problem relief measures may have an essential role in the management of COVID-19. On the one hand, these approaches may improve clinical outcomes. On the other hand, they also provide first-line medical workers and the general public with psychological defense mechanisms. Therefore, active and effective intervention aiming at mental diseases and psychological conditions may mitigate CVD caused by COVID-19-related mental and psychological problems.