Os danos que o acúmulo de estresse causam no funcionamento cognitivo diante da pandemia da Covid-19

Abstract

According to Brazil’s Ministry of Health, COVID-19 is an acute respiratory infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, discovered in Wuhan, China. With the global spread of the virus, measures such as the use of masks and social isolation needed to be adopted; social isolation began in March 2020 in Brazil and lasted until the beginning of 2022. This paper aims to analyze the harmful effects caused by the accumulation of stress in a large part of the population as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, in evidence: the increase in the number of cases of people reporting having developed insomnia, social phobia, anxiety and depression; the prominent consumption of alcoholic beverages and cigarettes, indicating a relief seeking behavior as a way to momentary evade the stress symptoms. To proceed in the study, a bibliographic survey was conducted on the main effects of the pandemic; Research was carried out on scientific sites such as SciELO, PubMed, government sites, and university repositories. Based on the review of selected articles, it was possible to conclude that the SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic had serious impacts: it impaired daily activities and behavioral habits, created stress overloads, and caused a significant increase in the number of cases of anxiety and depression, related to panic, uncertainty about the future and exhaustion prompted by social distancing. In short, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the accumulation of stress caused notable damage to people's cognitive functioning.