**1. Introduction**

The current world has changed in all shapes since the emergence of the novel coronavirus. COVID-19 is a deadly virus and is also extremely contagious. The rapidly emerging COVID-19 pandemic has been taking a toll not only on overall health but also on the mental health of the general public, and especially those with previous history or episodes of mental illness [1]. A significant fraction of stress arises from the experience of monitoring ourselves or being monitored by others for the possible signs and symptoms of the disease [2]. Meanwhile, much of the mental health issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic stem from accumulating worries and concerns related to continued isolation, financial insecurity, contamination, and less-likelihood in returning to normality. Of note, the current state of health emergency has forced millions of people to stay socially distant from friends, family, colleagues, and even from their pets. Summing this up with the exponential fear, worrisome daily news, and fearful updates as well as the looming indefinite future, the rate of anxiety and stressand fear-related disorders and depression seem to be on a steep rise. This is partly because we face a global issue, and as such, a global coalition is required to battle against COVID-19 [3].

In the latest pandemic time, it has become apparent that neurological and psychological involvement in COVID-19 are increasingly rising in the patient population. A subset of COVID patients is affected by neurological events such as headache, dizziness, or cerebrovascular symptoms [4–7]. The latest reports have also shown a sudden onset of anosmia and ageusia as an early sign of SARS-CoV-2 infection, suggesting that early neurological involvement might be highly relevant [4,5,7]. Currently, long-term neurological complications from COVID-19 infection are of great concern. Besides, the overarching issue is the situation of the socio-economic crisis and psychological distress rapidly occurring worldwide. Although social activities have been restricted in most countries, almost all movements were prohibited due to quarantine, leading to many psychological problems. The most critical consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic are of increased mental health issues, including stress, anxiety, and panic symptoms, and depression that has emerged increasingly [6,8]. The most common psychological symptoms are generalized fear and pervasive community anxiety, typically associated with disease outbreaks, with the escalation of new cases leading to increased anxiety and panic symptoms [6,8]. Overall, in this present review, we synthesize the literature to highlight the significant associations between SARS-CoV-2 infection and the nervous system, and mental health illness, and discuss potential mechanisms of neural injury through psychoneuroimmunity. Awareness of the possible psychoneurological manifestations in COVID-19 patients is of utmost importance for the management of potentially life-threatening and long-lasting psycho-neurological complications.
