This study was carried to assess the level of depression in people that may be caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary data of this research were collected from respondents who completed the online survey after reading the consent notification. The survey was distributed through colleagues, friends and their acquaintances. It followed a non-probabilistic sampling to reach for as many participants as possible, who were driven by their interest and contribution to take part in this research. More into it, the handling and the analysis of the collected data were at high confidence measures. To fulfill the research’s aim, the authors constructed an online questionnaire in google forms which contained 3 main sections: the demographic information, depression measurement based on the PHQ-9 questions as a valid depression scale and the last section covered the depression management. The demographic section covered information about age, gender, education level, type of employment and income. The following section considered the PHQ-9 patient health questionnaire as an accredited, 9-questions depression assessment measuring tool presenting a particular individual on a scale of 0-27. It is important to mention that the last question is scored in this current research, but usually not scored for assisting the clinician to assess the influence of the patient's symptoms on his or her life. The majority of participants showed some kind of depression, most of which were mild. Management of depression could include watching television, reading, exercising, socializing, having a pet and a garden. Future studies should be longitudinal to enable us and other scholars to investigate how varied factors may alter the progression of depression. In addition, a larger study group is needed to make accurate conclusions.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, Mental Health, Depression.

DOI: http://doi.org/10.24086/biohs2022/paper.749