BRASILIA: The COVID-19 pandemic is causing a mental health crisis in the Americas due to heightened stress and use of drugs and alcohol during six months of lockdowns and stay-at-home measures, the World Health Organization's regional director said on Tuesday.The pandemic also has brought a related problem in a surge in domestic violence against women, Carissa Etienne said in a virtual briefing from the Pan American Health Organization in Washington."The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a mental health crisis in our region at a scale we’ve never seen before," she said. "It is urgent that mental health support is considered a critical component of the pandemic response."Etienne called on governments to expand mental health services and.