Challenges facing mental health systems arising from the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from 14 European and North American countries

Cummings, Janet R.; Zhang, Xinyue; Gandré, Coralie; Morsella, Alisha; Shields-Zeeman, Laura; Winkelmann, Juliane; Allin, Sonya; Augusto, Gonçalo Figueiredo; Cascini, Fidelia; Cserháti, Zoltán; Belvis, Antonio De; Fronteira, Inês; Jamieson, Margaret; Murauskienė, Liubovė; Palmer, William C.; Ricciardi, Walter; Samuel, Hadar; Scîntee, Silvia Gabriela; Taube, Māris; Vrangbæk, Karsten; Ginneken, Ewout van

doi:10.1016/j.healthpol.2023.104878

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 39 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…There was an extensive spread of COVID-19 in psychiatric hospitals, resulting in a limited capacity to admit patients ( 12 ). The work of the day clinic was also periodically suspended to limit the spread of COVID-19, and patients with milder COVID-19 (and a stable mental state) were discharged as early as possible and continued their treatment at home under the supervision of a family doctor ( 13 ). New patients were not admitted to the wards until all COVID-19 patients had recovered, were transferred to general hospitals, or discharged.…”

Section: Policy Options and Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The potential of psychiatric outpatient centers to reduce the length of stay in inpatient facilities and the negative impact of COVID-19 on the availability of psychiatric services: the case of Latvia

Taube

2024

Front. Health Serv.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The move from psychiatric hospitals to community-based care is the goal of policies in many countries. Latvia has attempted to reach this goal by establishing two outpatient centers in Riga. Since 2005, when the first outpatient centers opened, the ability of day clinics to reduce the total length of stay for hospital inpatients has been observed, although using the outpatient centers did not affect the number of patients treated. The open-door inpatient wards of the centers also attracted a new patient group. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number and length of stay of both outpatients and inpatients at psychiatric hospitals decreased. Therefore, other factors that can affect the move from psychiatric hospital inpatient care to outpatient centers should be further investigated.

show abstract

Section: Policy Options and Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The potential of psychiatric outpatient centers to reduce the length of stay in inpatient facilities and the negative impact of COVID-19 on the availability of psychiatric services: the case of Latvia

Taube

2024

Front. Health Serv.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…During the recent pandemic, many burdens were imposed on health service infrastructure in many countries. The findings of such studies can be used in the development and implementation of mental health promotion strategies and prevention or intensive therapeutic efforts [ 38 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The anxiety response of patients with severe psychiatric disorders to the recent public health crisis

Khalkhali,

Zarvandi,

Mohammadpour

et al. 2024

BMC Psychiatry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background The devastating health, economic, and social consequences of COVID-19 may harm the already vulnerable groups, particularly people with severe psychiatric disorders (SPDs). The present study was conducted to investigate the anxiety response of patients with SPDs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A total of 351 patients with SPDs [Schizophrenia Spectrum (SSD), Bipolar (BD), Major Depressive (MDD), and Obsessive-Compulsive (OCD) Disorders] and healthy controls in Guilan province, Iran, throughout 2021–2022 were included in this cross-sectional analytical study. The anxiety response consisted of four concepts: COVID-19-related anxiety, general health anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, and safety behaviors. We conducted an unstructured interview and provided sociodemographic and clinical information. Also, the participants were asked to complete four self-report measures of the Corona Disease Anxiety Scale, the Anxiety Sensitivity Index–Revised, the Short Health Anxiety Inventory, and the Checklist of Safety Behaviors. Results Analysis of variance showed a significant difference between the groups of patients with SPDs and the control group in COVID-19-related anxiety (F = 6.92, p = 0.0001), health anxiety (F = 6.21, p = 0.0001), and safety behaviors (F = 2.52, p = 0.41). No significant difference was observed between them in anxiety sensitivity (F = 1.77, p = 0.134). The Games-Howell test showed that the control group obtained a higher mean than the groups of people with BD (p < 0.0001), SSD (p = 0.033), and OCD (p = 0.003) disorders in COVID-19-related anxiety. The patients with MDD (p = 0.014) and OCD (p = 0.01) had a higher mean score than the control group in health anxiety. Tukey’s test showed that the mean of safety behaviors of the control group was significantly higher than the OCD group (p = 0.21). No significant difference was found between the groups of patients with MDD, BD, SSD, and OCD in terms of COVID-19-related anxiety, health anxiety, and safety behaviors. Conclusion Anxiety response to health crisis is different in groups with SPDs and control group. The findings of this study suggest that although health anxiety is present in many of these patients during the pandemic, their anxiety response to the health crisis may be less than expected. There can be various explanations, such as pre-existing symptoms, low health literacy, and possible co-occurring cognitive impairment. The results of this study have many practical and policy implications in meeting the treatment needs of this group of patients during public health crises and indicate that their needs may not be compatible with the expectations and estimates that health professionals and policymakers already have.

show abstract

“…A number of studies in numerous countries indicate that since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant increase in the prevalence of symptoms associated with mental ill health and mental disorders [ 14 ] and an increasing demand for mental health medical services [ 15 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Health and Life Emergencies Resulting from Illness Cases and Injuries—A Preliminary Study

Mitura,

Celiński,

Snarska

et al. 2024

JCM

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Despite organised efforts, the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the health status of the population and health services including the emergency medical system. The objective of the study was to investigate, based on the Emergency Medical Teams’ (EMT) interventions, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health and life emergencies resulting from illness cases and injuries of Polish females and males. Material and Methods: The data under analysis concern EMT interventions carried out in central and eastern Poland from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2022 (n = 226,038). The study used descriptive statistics, the Mann–Whitney U Test, and the Chi-square test. Results: A significant increase was observed in the proportion of EMT interventions (p < 0.001) to patients with illness cases (80.30% vs. 83.17%) and a decrease in interventions to patients with injuries (19.70% vs. 16.83%) during the pandemic as compared to the pre-pandemic period. As for illness cases, the patients’ ages during both periods were similar (Me = 66.00 vs. 66.00, p = 0.071). On the other hand, during the pandemic, injuries mainly affected elderly patients as compared to the pre-pandemic period (Me = 50.00 vs. 47.00, p < 0.001). The increase in the proportion of EMT interventions to patients with illness cases and the decrease in patients with injuries during the pandemic, as compared to the pre-pandemic period, concerned the area of intervention, patient’s sex, and age. During the pandemic period, a significantly lower proportion of patients transported to the hospital (p < 0.001) and an increase in the proportion of patients left at the place of call (p < 0.001) were noted. Conclusions: The restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus contributed to a reduced number of injuries without, however, reducing the number of illness cases. During the pandemic, the elderly were affected by injuries. The study indicates the need for further in-depth analyses to prepare the pre-hospital care system in Poland for the occurrence of other or similar emergencies.

show abstract

Challenges facing mental health systems arising from the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from 14 European and North American countries

Cited by 11 publications

References 39 publications

The potential of psychiatric outpatient centers to reduce the length of stay in inpatient facilities and the negative impact of COVID-19 on the availability of psychiatric services: the case of Latvia

The potential of psychiatric outpatient centers to reduce the length of stay in inpatient facilities and the negative impact of COVID-19 on the availability of psychiatric services: the case of Latvia

The anxiety response of patients with severe psychiatric disorders to the recent public health crisis

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Health and Life Emergencies Resulting from Illness Cases and Injuries—A Preliminary Study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About