There is no doubt that the ongoing SARSCoV-2 pandemic is affecting people’s mental health. Studies on this issue clearly indicate that this influence causes various mental reactions [1, 2]. A brief scientific review of references showed that they include:
1. fear of infection and death;
2. fear of infecting relatives (especially the elderly and children), other people because potentially he/she can be an asymptomatic disease carrier;
3. fear of social isolation/quarantine because of the illness;
4. feeling helpless due to the inability to protect the loved ones (especially minors, the disabled or the elderly) and the fear of losing them;
5. emotional deprivation due to separation from family and friends because of isolation/ quarantine;
6. reduction in social connections;
7. feelings of boredom, loneliness, helplessness and the possible onset of depression due to isolation/quarantine;
8. the inability to work in isolation leads to the fear of being unable to sustain himself/herself and his/her family and of possible job loss (especially in small businesses);
9. perception of non-COVID-19 symptoms as the onset of SARS-CoV-2 and, consequently, the fear of dying;
10. the possibility of the onset and/or aggravation of mental disorders (primarily obsessive-compulsive);
11. fear of seeking medical advice where one may get infected etc.
Physicians and other healthcare professionals working under the conditions of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic are exposed to even greater risk [3–9], because, besides:
• they track up-to-date information on COVID-19, which amplifies the above effects;
• they are at work, in particular, in extreme conditions and under increased stress, accompanied with physical and mental exhaustion, insomnia, and in some cases, a significantly heightened risk of infection and the need to comply with strict biosecurity measures (absolute compliance with prescribed procedures that exclude spontaneity and autonomy, physical isolation, the load from protective equipment);