Effect of the pandemic on the need for and use of psychiatric services
among various diagnostic groups of psychiatric outpatients
Abstract
Aim: Both general medical and mental health services were
disrupted during the pandemic. It is unclear how these disruptions
played out for people with various mental health diagnoses. We compared
change in mental health status and use of mental health services between
four psychiatric groups: schizophrenia spectrum disorders, bipolar
disorder, unipolar depression, and anxiety/obsessive-compulsive disorder
(OCD). Method: Using a semi-structured interview, 492
psychiatric outpatients who had used psychiatric services of a
university hospital before the pandemic were assessed on the phone
during the pandemic. Results: About half of the sample reported
a perceived need for contact with mental health services during the
pandemic, half of whom actually used services. Need for contact was much
lower in the schizophrenia group than other diagnostic groups, whereas
actual use of services was lower in the unipolar depression and
anxiety/OCD groups. Conclusions: Patients with severe mental
disorders, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorders, may not have been
more disadvantaged than those with anxiety/depression spectrum disorders
during the pandemic. The pandemic response structure of mental health
services should be modified to fit the needs of anxiety/depression
spectrum patients.