Depression, Anxiety and SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) Phobia in Post-stroke Patients

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has begun, first in Wuhan, China, and then became a pandemic. The first SARS-CoV-2 case in Turkey was reported on March 11, 2020. People older than 65 years old became subject to lock down measures beginning on March 21, while people younger than 20 years old became subject to lock down measures beginning on April 03. A total lock down has been implemented a few times lasting between 3 to 4 days, especially at weekends. Several studies show that mental health problems could occur in public during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Depression and anxiety are a commonly known mental health issue in post-stroke patients. This patient population, who usually have to spend most of their time at home, remained completely at home and socially isolated due to the precautions required by the pandemic. Based on the above research evidence; depression, anxiety and phobia of SARS-CoV-2 may increase in the post stroke patients due to being in risk group and effects of measures taken against SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Therefore, we aimed to assess the depression, anxiety and SARS-CoV-2 phobia in post stroke patients during SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, and to explore the potential influence factors.