Background
Long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) are an essential maintenance treatment option for individuals with schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder (BP-I). This report summarizes a roundtable discussion on the impact of COVID-19 on the mental healthcare landscape and use of LAIs for individuals with schizophrenia or BP-I.
Methods
Ten experts and stakeholders from diverse fields of healthcare participated in a roundtable discussion on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, treatment challenges, and gaps in healthcare for individuals with schizophrenia or BP-I, informed by a literature search.
Results
Individuals with schizophrenia or BP-I are at increased risk of COVID-19 infection and increased risk of mortality after COVID-19 diagnosis. LAI prescriptions decreased early on in the pandemic, driven by a decrease in face-to-face consultations. Mental healthcare services are adapting with increased use of telehealth and home-based treatment. Clinical workflows to provide consistent, in-person LAI services include screening for COVID-19 exposure and infection, minimizing contact, and ensuring mask-wearing by individuals and staff. The importance of continued in-person visits for LAIs needs to be discussed so that staff can share that information with patients, their caregivers, and families. A fully integrated, collaborative-care model is the most important aspect of care for individuals with schizophrenia or BP-I during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Conclusions
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of a fully integrated collaborative-care model to ensure regular, routine healthcare contact and access to prescribed treatments and services for individuals with schizophrenia and BP-I.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic has forced a sudden global implementation of telemedicine strategies, including in long-term care (LTC) facilities where many people with dementia and Parkinson disease (PD) reside. Telemedicine offers a unique set of advantages for residents in LTC facilities if effectively supported and implemented, including expanded access to specialists in rural or underserved areas or for people with dementia who cannot travel for off-site visits. Many medical and psychiatric organizations have recently issued new or updated guidelines on the use of telemedicine. On October 22, 2020, a multidisciplinary consensus panel was convened to collate a list of best practices for LTC facilities and specialists when conducting telemedicine with residents with dementia-related psychosis or PD-related psychosis (PDP).
A collaborative effort between specialists, facility administrators, and facility staff is essential for the success of telemedicine in the LTC setting. Telemedicine in LTC facilities comes with increased administrative and technical challenges that fall heavily on the shoulders of the LTC facility administrators and staff. Specialists can ease this burden by maintaining flexibility and ensuring expression of empathy and thanks to the staff who are facilitating the visits. LTC staff can provide specialists with valuable information about their patients to aid in evaluation and diagnosis. Specialists can facilitate this exchange of information by speaking to staff who work closely with the resident about any signs of hallucinations or delusions they may have observed. Educational efforts can increase staff understanding of dementia and PDP and empower them to engage with, and facilitate the resident's treatment plan. Using these strategies to take advantage of the benefits of telemedicine, specialists and LTC staff can together expand and improve care for LTC facility residents with dementia-related psychosis or PDP.
Objective: The aims of this review were to describe the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and psychiatric disorders and provide an overview of how to recognize/manage OSA in psychiatric practice. Data Sources: A literature search of PubMed was conducted (in adults, English language, no limitation on year). Among others, main keywords included "obstructive sleep apnea" AND "psychiatric. " Study Selection: Articles relevant to the treatment of OSA in psychiatric populations were selected manually. Data Extraction: No formal data charting was conducted.Results: A total of 141 articles were included from the literature search. Comorbid OSA is common among patients with psychiatric disorders, particularly depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Evidence suggests that OSA may be an independent risk factor for the development of psychiatric conditions, as well as for suicidal ideation and attempts in psychiatric populations. Recognizing OSA in patients with psychiatric disorders can be challenging due to the overlap of symptoms (eg, sleep issues, mood changes, and vegetative symptoms) between OSA, psychiatric disorders, and side effects of psychiatric medications. Inadequately treated OSA can affect the severity of psychiatric symptoms and impair response to psychiatric treatment. Conclusions: Clinicians should not assume that all sleep-related symptoms are consequences of psychiatric illness or medication but should instead be cognizant of the potential for coexisting OSA that requires treatment. Recognizing and managing OSA in patients with psychiatric disorders are critical to improve response to treatment, quality of life, and overall health.
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