John R. Kasich is the former governor of Ohio, serving from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, he was previously a member of the House of Representatives. Henry Harbin is a psychiatrist and past CEO and chairman of Magellan Health Services. The opinions expressed in this commentary are their own. View more opinion articles on CNN.

(CNN) Throughout our history, America's greatest challenges have summoned our greatest strengths, and this battle to defeat the coronavirus pandemic will prove no different. But, as we've also seen in history, those on the frontlines of a crisis inevitably face great danger, physically and mentally alike. Sadly, this campaign is already seeing casualties.

Across the nation in our hospitals, nursing homes, and other institutions sheltering our most vulnerable, we are seeing a great strain showing on our doctors, nurses, social workers, and emergency medical workers as they valiantly care for a growing population sick and too often dying from Covid-19. Also under the pressure are those unsung everyday heroes providing us with the things we need to live and stay safe, from food and household goods to law enforcement and medicine, we all depend on the essential ones who cannot stay home to protect themselves and their loved ones from the pandemic.

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As in our previous wars, these frontline troops bear the brunt of the burden, and we need to be prepared for the toll it is taking -- and will take -- on their mental health and their lives.

But what may be most unique about this crisis is how much damage it's inflicting and will continue to inflict on people behind the front lines: those who are quarantining and social distancing to try to flatten the curve with the coronavirus outbreak. Beyond the fear of getting sick, many are facing extreme economic stress, job uncertainty, worries about children and elderly parents , and other family pressures including, for too many, an increased risk of domestic violence and abuse.

A Rapid Review published last week in the medical journal The Lancet outlined the potential psychological effects of quarantine, and painted a desperate picture of what we have to face in the months and years to come. Similar to what we saw after other mass traumas, such as 9/11 and hurricanes like Katrina and Harvey, not only are the effects expected to be significant, they continue to manifest over the years. The Lancet warned of rates of post-traumatic stress among quarantined children more than four times higher than baseline, and rates of depression among quarantined hospital staff many times higher than their peers, even years later.