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Effect of the pandemic on the need for and use of psychiatric services among various diagnostic groups of psychiatric outpatients
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  • Cengiz Kılıç,
  • Özge Türkoğlu,
  • Burcu Avanoğlu,
  • A. ELIF ANIL YAGCIOGLU,
  • Berna Diclenur Uluğ,
  • Özlem Şeyda Uluğ,
  • Kathy Magruder,
  • Melike Karaçam Doğan,
  • Hayri Can Özden,
  • İbrahim Mert Erdoğan,
  • Esen Ağaoğlu,
  • Nilgun Oktar Erdogan,
  • H. Ertuğ Baki,
  • Oğuz Kaan Yalçınkaya,
  • E. Selin Aliyev,
  • Cengiz Arca,
  • İbrahim Aylak,
  • Tuğba Taşdemir,
  • Talat Demirsöz,
  • Nurhayat Eni
Cengiz Kılıç
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi

Corresponding Author:cengizk@hacettepe.edu.tr

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Özge Türkoğlu
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
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Burcu Avanoğlu
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
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A. ELIF ANIL YAGCIOGLU
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
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Berna Diclenur Uluğ
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
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Özlem Şeyda Uluğ
Hacettepe University
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Kathy Magruder
Hacettepe University
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Melike Karaçam Doğan
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
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Hayri Can Özden
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
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İbrahim Mert Erdoğan
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
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Esen Ağaoğlu
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
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Nilgun Oktar Erdogan
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
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H. Ertuğ Baki
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
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Oğuz Kaan Yalçınkaya
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
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E. Selin Aliyev
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
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Cengiz Arca
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
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İbrahim Aylak
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
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Tuğba Taşdemir
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
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Talat Demirsöz
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
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Nurhayat Eni
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
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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.