The coronovirus COVID-19 pandemic is a very strong challenge for the public health system and the general population. Despite the existing experience in eliminating epidemics and their consequences in the world, including experience in maintaining mental health, the new coronavirus infection entails new problems that need to be addressed as soon as possible. Important is the need to mobilize psychological and psychiatric service. The article is a review of literature published mainly in 2019—2020. The data-bases used were PubMed, Elsevierscience and Google Scholar. The paper presents relevant data on risk factors for mental disorders during a pandemic, the range of psychological reactions and symptoms of mental disorders in the population, the characteristics of the management of patients with mental disorders, and the role of the psychological and psychiatric unit during this pe-riod. The consolidation of efforts and the quickest possible start of solving mental health problems will help to avoid significant consequences in the future.