Supporting Patients With Schizophrenia in the Era of COVID-19

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has drastically impacted our society and health care system. People with schizophrenia are more vulnerable to this burden of illness and related societal changes. In addition, they are more susceptible to the transmission of COVID-19 and have a significantly higher mortality rate compared to the general population. In a recent study, vaccinated patients with schizophrenia showed a greatly decreased mortality level similar to that of the general population. However, patients with schizophrenia were less likely to be vaccinated. Mental health professionals should provide them with appropriate information on prevention strategies against COVID-19 and vaccination. Long-lasting social distancing and social disconnection can make people with schizophrenia more vulnerable to loneliness and depression. Furthermore, patients with schizophrenia may face challenges continuing psychiatric treatment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Social support and suitable mental health services using novel technologies should be developed and provided to patients with schizophrenia.

Experiences of Caring for Cohort-Isolated Patients among Nurses in Locked Psychiatric Units

“…To avoid a repetition of the chaos wrought by a new infectious disease outbreak in the future, proactive collaboration between mental health professionals and infection control experts is vital to proactively establish practical infection prevention guidelines for psychiatric units. Additionally, to ensure the safety and well-being of patients with mental illnesses during infectious disease crises due to prejudice against these patients and lack of negative pressure rooms, it is important to establish specialized infection units for patients with mental disorders [25].…”

“…Moreover, individuals with mental disorders are at a heightened risk of infection compared to the general population due to their cognitive impairment, little awareness of dangers, and lack of capability to protect themselves [26]. Therefore, diverse non-face-to-face measures utilizing advanced technology should be developed and provided so that nurses can provide mental health care while adhering to infection prevention and management guidelines [25]. Virtual mental health services would be a promising option for addressing the issues of social isolation and loneliness among patients caused by the absolute prohibition of family visits and outside trips [24] and caregivers' distress due to not being able to visit the patients for even a short time [29].…”

“…Hospitals took steps to mitigate the risk of mass outbreaks by creating waiting rooms for patients for whom COVID-19 testing was complicated by their psychiatric symptoms [35]. Following mass outbreaks in the facilities, hospitals made institutional changes such as adjusting spacing between beds, limiting group programs, and implementing the mandatory installation of handwashing facilities [25]. To reduce the risk of mass outbreaks, it is important to provide education programs tailored to the cognitive abilities of individuals with mental disorders, so that they can acquire accurate information about infection prevention and act accordingly [1].…”

Changes in People with Schizophrenia during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Integrative Review

“…성 정신병원인 청도 대남병원이었던 것이 이러한 재난 불평등 을 방증한다 [3]. '재난약자'란 위험을 감지하는 능력 또는 위험 감지 시 적절한 행동을 하기 어려운 자, 위험을 알리는 정보 습득 이 어렵거나 정보를 받아도 적절한 행동이 어려운 자로 정의되 며, 최근'재난약자'와'재난 취약계층'이란 용어가 함께 쓰이고 있다 [4].…”

“…국민건강보험 자료에 따르면 정신질환자의 COVID-19 관 련 감염률 및 사망률이 일반인구에 비해 높았고 [5], 국외의 경 우에도 감염률, 입원율 및 사망률 모두 일반인구에 비해 높게 나타났다 [6,7]. 특히 조현병 환자는 신체면역력 저하, 밀폐된 구조의 장기시설에서의 거주, 인지기능 및 실행능력 저하로 인 한 감염예방 필요성에 대한 이해와 대처 정도의 저하, 낮은 COVID-19에 대한 지식 정도 등의 원인으로 COVID-19에 취 약하다 [3,5,8,9]. 또한 사회적 거리두기의 영향으로 외래 방문 율 감소 [10,11], 약물치료 중단의 증가 [8] 등 치료 비준수의 문 제도 발생할 수 있고, 정신재활시설 서비스 중단 [12]…”