Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidal Ideation in Health Care Professionals Attended at a Psychological Helpline for COVID-19 Pandemic Sufferers

The aim of this study was to examine the levels of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among health care professionals who sought professional help for psychological problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. These psychopathological constructs were measured using the PHQ-2, the GAD-2, and the suicide item from the PHQ-9, respectively, in a sample of 238 health care professionals who contacted a nationwide psychological helpline. Findings show that 52.5% had clinical levels of depression, 71% had clinical levels of anxiety, and 7.1% reported suicidal ideation, with no differences across health care roles (nurses, physicians, other roles). These figures, for depression and anxiety, are two to three times higher than those found in the general population of health care professionals during the pandemic but are similar for suicidal ideation. The results also indicate a higher prevalence of clinical levels of depression and anxiety among professionals who were currently receiving or had received professional help for psychological problems (67.2% and 84.6%, respectively). These findings confirm global concerns about the psychological impact of the pandemic on health care professionals and underscore the importance of integrating mental health into future health crisis response planning.