COVID-19 and Severe Mental Illness: Impact on patients and its relation with their awareness about COVID-19

Mental Distress and Human Rights Violations During COVID-19: A Rapid Review of the Evidence Informing Rights, Mental Health Needs, and Public Policy Around Vulnerable Populations

“…A cross-sectional study investigating differences between awareness about COVID-19 by race and ethnicity found African-Americans and Hispanics were less likely to be informed about the pandemic and effective prevention methods ( 33 ). These findings align with another study in India where patients with mental illness from disadvantaged backgrounds had less access to information via the internet, media, online health information ( 45 ). Unequal access to information along with lack of proper health care during lockdown jeopardize their physical and mental health.…”

A Longitudinal Investigation of the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health of Individuals with Pre-existing Severe Mental Illnesses

“…Indeed, the few available empirical studies examining current symptoms have reported greater depression, anxiety, and stress in individuals with self-reported affective disorders (i.e., bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder) as compared to individuals without an affective disorder ( Van Rheenen et al., 2020 ) and among individuals with SMI (i.e., bipolar disorder or psychotic disorder) relative to psychiatrically healthy controls ( González-Blanco et al., 2020 ). Another cross-sectional study conducted in India found that 30% of individuals with SMI reported a re-emergence of psychiatric symptoms during COVID-19 lockdown ( Muruganandam et al., 2020 ). Finally, there is also some suggestion of a differential impact across diagnoses such that individuals with affective disorders report greater COVID-19-related stress relative to individuals with schizophrenia spectrum illnesses ( Hölzle et al., 2020 ).…”

Profile of patients availing psychiatry emergency services pre and post lockdown at a tertiary care center of North India

“…There could be many reasons for relapse, such as difficulty in procuring/purchasing the medication, an increase in the level of stress, and an adverse household environment. Studies done during the lockdown period have provided evidence for all these ( Grover et al, 2020 ; Muruganandam et al, 2020 ). These findings suggest that people with various mental illnesses are in need of health care services and there is a need to strengthen the emergency services to cater to people with severe mental disorders.…”

“…Lockdown and the ongoing pandemic also have led to an increase in the prevalence of psychological morbidity ( Grover et al, 2020d ). Additionally, there are multiple reports of people indulging in self-harming behavior, either due to fear of COVID-19 ( Sahoo et al, 2020b ), substance withdrawal ( Rani et al, 2020 ), or worsening of primary psychiatric disorder or emergence of new psychiatric ailments ( Grover et al, 2020 ; Muruganandam et al, 2020 ). Attending to patients with COVID-19 has also increased the prevalence of psychological morbidity among health care workers, either due to fear of contracting the infection, fear of carrying the infection to home ( Gupta et al, 2020 ; Sahoo et al, 2020a ), and the use of personal protective equipment ( Spoorthy et al, 2020 ; Dua et al,n.d.).…”