Affiliation:
1. İstanbul University-Cerrahpaşa Medical School
Abstract
Abstract
Background: This study aimed to explore the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and lockdown period (LP) measures on patients’ visits to psychiatric emergency department (PED) of Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Cerrahpaşa Medical School.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study comparing the number and characteristics of patients during the initial lockdown with visits in the pre- and post-lockdown months. We also investigated the number of monthly PED visits and hospitalizations between March 11, 2020-2021 and compared it to the same period in 2019 and between March 2021-2022.
Results: PED visits in the initial LP in Istanbul increased by 109% compared to the pre-lockdown months in the previous year. Anxiety and depressive disorders were responsible for most of this increase. The decline in PED visits was 3.1% and 42% during the first and second year of the pandemic, respectively; however, among the major diagnostic categories, we found that the rates of anxiety, depressive disorders, and OCD increased significantly in the first year, while psychotic disorders declined and bipolar disorders remained the same. In the second year, there was a trend toward pre-pandemic year ratios.
Conclusion: The present findings highlight the immediate and long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures on patients’ admission to the PED.
Publisher
Research Square Platform LLC