As the current pandemic situation evolves, urges have been made to focus efforts toward examining the mental health status of the general population. This large-scale epidemiological investigation assesses the prevalence of depression and anxiety associated with the mitigation strategies aimed at impeding viral transmission chains during the COVID-19 pandemic. A representative sample of 10084 adults participated in the study. The results reveal that the globally ubiquitous mitigation strategies

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... involving lockdowns, social distancing, quarantine, and isolation are associated with two to threefold increases in anxiety and depression symptoms. Risk factors and protective factors associated with these psychiatric symptoms were identified. Finally, factors associated with adherence rates to these mitigation strategies were investigated. The presented time-sensitive findings provide health-policy makers and government officials with a foundation for making informed decisions concerning the mental health impacts of the contemporaneously in-practice disease containment strategies, and suggests ways of increasing adherence to these protocols while simultaneously protecting the general public against detrimental mental health effects.