Purpose The fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically influenced many aspects of individuals’ lives, putting the general population’s mental health at high risk, especially university students in Vietnam. The present study aims to investigate the relationship between current living status and COVID-19 stress and test whether COVID-19 stress mediates the effect of self-concealment on help-seeking attitudes among university students. Patients and Methods A sample of 478 university students was recruited online to complete the survey. Parametric tests, correlation, regression, and simple mediation analyses were used to analyze the data. Results Our results show that students living alone experience more COVID-19 stress levels than those living with family or friends. Additionally, there is a significant positive association between self-concealment and professional help-seeking attitudes that is partially mediated by COVID-19 stress. Individuals who tend to conceal personal information have high COVID-19 stress levels, leading to positive professional help-seeking attitudes. Conclusion University administrators, social workers, counselors, clinicians, and therapists must consider students living alone as prioritized vulnerable groups for early mental health interventions. Clinicians should be aware of self-concealment and professional help-seeking attitudes that could influence psychological treatment.

Psychiatric emergencies in the geriatric population are expected to increase in the next decade and pose a unique challenge for clinicians in the emergency department or emergency consult setting. This cohort generally presents with numerous medical comorbidities and polypharmacy, and clinicians must be aware of age-related changes in physiology and pharmacokinetics. Geriatric psychiatric emergencies may also be precipitated by psychosocial factors such as retirement, grief, or elder abuse. Evaluation should initially focus on safety and typically requires utilization of collateral sources of history. Underlying medical etiologies of delirium should be ruled out, in addition to dementia screening and evaluation of depression or decompensated psychiatric illness. Medications should be used judiciously if indicated, and particular attention should be given to drug interactions and risk of toxicity. The COVID-19 pandemic has complicated the evaluation and management of psychiatric emergencies because there must now be clear procedures for screening, isolating, and treating COVID-19-positive patients. Age remains one of the most robust risk factors for both morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19. The growing use of telepsychiatry has improved access to emergency psychiatric services, geriatric patients included, but can be challenging.

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