COVID-19 mental health care toolkit: an international collaborative effort by Early Career Psychiatrists section

Abstract

The collaborative effort of an international research team from the Early Career Psychiatrists section of the World Psychiatry Association has brought about an easy-to-use, quick and stepwise mental health care toolkit for the identification and appropriate referral of those in need of mental health care during the pandemic. This simple guide can be applied in the general outpatient setting and is catered for all healthcare professionals, regardless of their expertise within the mental health field with minimal training. It is our hope that by incorporating this toolkit into our daily clinical care during the pandemic for high-risk patients and patients with non-specific complaints, we will be able to bridge the mental health gap present in our society.

Mental health in the post-COVID-19 era: challenges and the way forward

“…Community mental health services should be well prepared to screen, identify people at risk, provide psychological first aid and facilitate onward referral services. 20 Primary healthcare workers and organisational gatekeepers (eg, pharmacists, geriatric caregivers and school teachers) should be trained to identify individuals at risk and direct them to proper evaluation and treatment.…”

“…The use of a toolkit or stepped care or matched care model through primary care physicians can improve the coverage of mental health services in the postpandemic era by allowing them to manage common mental disorders of mild severity. 20…”

“…A screening toolkit or guidelines should be developed to identify these groups of people. 20 Indicated approach It should be designed for individuals having signs and symptoms of the mental issues as mentioned above. This approach ought to be guided by well-defined guidelines before the intervention.…”

El rol del psiquiatra colombiano en medio de la pandemia de COVID-19

“…La inmediatez de dicho cambio ha enfrentado a facultativos, pacientes, instituciones y aseguradoras a incontables retos. No en vano, aunque la psiquiatría ha sido una de las áreas de la medicina con mayor experiencia en este campo, el paso de la atención presencial a la telemedicina no ha estado exento de obstáculos 8 , 9 , 10 .…”

COVID-19 anti-vaccine movement and mental health: Challenges and the way forward

“…Therefore, government and international agencies should be well prepared to respond appropriately, adequately, and quickly to the COVID-19 vaccine concerns. Mental health: COVID-19 vaccination is an opportunity for mental health professionals to screen people for common mental illness through public health systems and increasing investment in mental health for a future pandemic( Adiukwu et al, 2020 ). Persons with severe mental illness should be prioritized so that they can access mental health services regularly.…”