Psychological impact on COVID-19 patients during the outbreak in China: A case-control study

•This case-control study assessed the psychological status of COVID-19 patients.•It showed that COVID-19 patients had higher prevalence of mental problems, such as anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and insomnia compared to controls.•Our findings highlighted the urgent need for psychological assistance for COVID-19 patients. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused widespread panic due to its highly infectious and pandemic transmission. We aimed to evaluate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on infected subjects in China. This case-control, survey-based study assessed the psychological status of COVID-19 patients and non-infected controls from February 10 to March 18, 2020, in China. Sex, age, education years, marital status, jobs, annual household income, living status, and geographic origin were matched between the two groups. The main outcome measures included anxiety, depression, insomnia, help-seeking behaviors, and treatment for mental problems. A total of 326 patients and 1304 (1:4 ratio) matched non-infected controls were enrolled. Compared with controls, patients had higher scores on the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) (all p