Since December 2019, the world has been experiencing the challenge of facing coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), a severe infectious disease caused by the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. The individuals with the most severe symptoms and the highest risk of death are the elderly and those with chronic illness. Among chronic conditions, those with a certain degree of chronic inflammation may predispose to a more severe evolution of COVID-19. Elderly with psychiatric disorders can present a persistent inflammatory state, a characteristic of the age’s immunological senescence, but the disorder can accentuate that. Social isolation is still the safest way to avoid contamination. However, isolated older people may have or worsen mental health conditions due to isolation and health concerns. In this scenario, a SARS-CoV-2 infection may progress to more severe disease. Conversely, COVID-19 can predispose or aggravate psychiatric disorders, as it induces a cytokine storm, causing systemic hyper inflammation. It may damage the blood-brain barrier, resulting in inflammation in the central nervous system. Besides, SARS-CoV-2 is likely to reach and trigger an inflammatory process directly in the nervous system. This review makes an update about research on the mental health of the elderly during the pandemic. Also, it discusses the vulnerability of these individuals in the face of stress and in the case of contracting COVID-19, considering mainly the stress’s hormonal and inflammatory mechanisms. Finally, the review points out possible care and attention strategies and entertainment and activities that can reduce the damage to mental and physical health and improve the elderly’s quality of life.

自2019年12月以来，世界一直在面对面对冠状病毒19号（COVID-19）的挑战，这是一种由新型冠状病毒SARS-CoV-2引起的严重传染病。症状最严重，死亡风险最高的人是老年人和患有慢性病的人。在慢性病中，患有一定程度的慢性炎症的人可能会更严重地进化出COVID-19。患有精神病的老年人可以表现出持续的炎症状态，这是该年龄免疫衰老的特征，但是这种疾病可以加剧这种情况。社会隔离仍然是避免污染的最安全方法。但是，由于孤立和健康问题，孤立的老年人可能患有或恶化了心理健康状况。在这种情况下，SARS-CoV-2感染可能会发展为更严重的疾病。相反，COVID-19会诱发或加重精神疾病，因为它会诱发细胞因子风暴，引起全身性过度炎症。它可能会破坏血脑屏障，导致中枢神经系统发炎。此外，SARS-CoV-2可能直接在神经系统中到达并引发炎症过程。这篇综述对大流行期间老年人心理健康的研究进行了更新。此外，它还讨论了这些人在压力下以及在感染COVID-19的情况下的脆弱性，主要考虑了压力的激素和炎症机制。最后，