Pandemic and mental health of the population of the Republic of Buryatia: impact, consequences, assessment of the quality of functioning of specialized medical services (based on the materials of a sociological study)

Based on the materials of expert interviews with medical professionals, the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of the population of the Republic of Buryatia was investigated, the quality of functioning of specialized medical services was established. An increase in the level of anxiety among citizens, an increase in the symptoms of dementia in the elderly population, and a deterioration in mental functions in people who have undergone COVID-19 were revealed. It was established that, in general, specialized medical services provided assistance to the population of the region in full and with an appropriate level of quality. The necessity of developing special targeted programs and improving the infrastructure for providing medical care to elderly citizens as the most vulnerable link in the social structure is substantiated. The necessity of monitoring the mental health of children and adolescents who found themselves in stressful learning conditions during the pandemic was noted, which today requires the pedagogical staff of preschool and general education educational organizations to mobilize efforts to overcome the negative consequences of the pandemic, including with the involvement of psychologists. It is concluded that specialists who provide medical and psychological counseling, psychiatric and narcological assistance to the population need additional training, methodological support to implement their functions in full.