Chloroquine represents at least a basic prototype antimalarial drug, widely applied in several branches of medicine and also recently against a new zoonotic origin coronavirus. At present, there is little awareness of chloroquine's psychiatric side effects, which appear to be overlooked by the Scientific Committee, although they may manifest in a worryingly wide range of symptoms. This is likely to interfere with the course of specifically long-term (high-dose) COVID-19 treatment in some aggravated forms (25% of coronavirus patients were still carrying the virus 6 days after taking hydroxychloroquine). Besides, symptoms of infection, adverse effects from the 600 mg hydroxychloroquine daily plus azithromycin, including insomnia, headaches, skin reactions, digestive upset with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, blurred vision, and local pain, may lead to increased anxiety and mental distress.

Keywords: COVID-19; anxiety; chloroquine; mental care; psychiatric side-effects.