It is known that the COVID-19 pandemic was perceived as a psychological burden for the majority of the general population. In addition preventive measures such as lockdowns, which were associated with considerable restrictions on movement and contact, have also led to mental stress among the population. In the interest of major public and Public Health, it is questionable whether and to what extent the pandemic-related restrictions and consequences have generated indirect effects such as an increase in the incidence of diagnosed common mental disorders [CMD], the progression of pre-existing CMD and the development of diagnosed mental comorbidities. Hence, it is highly important to assess which direct and psychosocial effects have been investigated and recorded by studies in this context. Direct total effects [DTE] by the pandemic include COVID-19 infections, COVID-19 severity including potential hospitalization/ICU treatments, death and Long-COVID. Indirect psychosocial effects comprise, e.g. loneliness, restricted access to healthcare, unemployment or (detrimental) lifestyle changes. Ascone et al. (2023) have developed a theoretical framework, categorizing the most relevant direct (i.e., directly related to the virus, COVID-19 related), indirect total effects (ITE; i.e., for individuals with CMD this would comprise e.g., relapse, exacerbation, treatment discontinuation) and psychosocial collateral effects [PSE] as outlined above into a matrix such as to consider psychosocial and mental health effects alongside the primary pandemic focus on the virus. The planned review is to be oriented towards this categorization in the form of a narrative review. The aim is to structure identified research studies with regard to direct, indirect and psychosocial effects (DTE, ITE, PSE) in order to shed light on which topics have been more or less focused by research (i.e., evidence mapping). This project is intended to contribute to potentially more balanced research activities and health monitoring of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The approach of a scoping review is used to provide a broad overview and summary of existing research on this topic and – in the interests of pandemic preparedness - to identify potential gaps for future projects and monitoring.