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

Abstract

Abstract Background The recent public health crisis, COVID-19, has had devastating health, economic, and social consequences in many societies. These consequences harmed to the already vulnerable groups, particularly people with Sever Psychiatric Disorders (SPDs). The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the anxiety response of patients with SPDs during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted on 351 patients with SPDs [schizophrenia spectrum (SSD), bipolar (BD), major depressive (MDD), and obsessive-compulsive (OCD) disorders] and a control group in Guilan province. The anxiety response consisted of four concepts: COVID-19-related anxiety, general health anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, and safety behaviors. After conducting a clinical unstructured interview with all participants, the self-report measures, including the Corona Disease Anxiety Scale, the Anxiety Sensitivity Index – Revised, the Short Health Anxiety Inventory, and the Checklist of Safety Behaviors, were administered. Results ANOVA 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). However, 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. Also, the MDD (p = 0.014) and OCD (p = 0.01) patients had a higher mean 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 difference was observed between the groups of 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. These difference in responses shows that patients with SPDs may have special needs in the occurrence of health crises. It also warns that having a mental illness is not necessarily associated with maladaptive reactions in health crises.