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Background A number of community based surveys have identified an increase in psychological symptoms and distress but there has been no examination of symptoms at the more severe end of the mental health spectrum. Aims We aimed to analyse numbers and types of psychiatric presentations to inform planning for future demand on mental health services in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method We analysed electronic data between January and April 2020 for 2534 patients referred to acute psychiatric services, and tested for differences in patient demographics, symptom severity and use of the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA), before and after lockdown. We used interrupted time-series analyses to compare trends in emergency department and psychiatric presentations until December 2020. Results There were 22% fewer psychiatric presentations the first week and 48% fewer emergency department presentations in the first month after lockdown initiated. A higher proportion of patients were detained under the MHA (22.2 v. 16.1%) and Mental Capacity Act 2005 (2.2 v. 1.1%) (χ2(2) = 16.3, P < 0.0001), and they experienced a longer duration of symptoms before seeking help from mental health services (χ2(3) = 18.6, P < 0.0001). A higher proportion of patients presented with psychotic symptoms (23.3 v. 17.0%) or delirium (7.0 v. 3.6%), and fewer had self-harm behaviour (43.8 v. 52.0%, χ2(7) = 28.7, P < 0.0001). A higher proportion were admitted to psychiatric in-patient units (22.2 v. 18.3%) (χ2(6) = 42.8, P < 0.0001) after lockdown. Conclusions UK lockdown resulted in fewer psychiatric presentations, but those who presented were more likely to have severe symptoms, be detained under the MHA and be admitted to hospital. Psychiatric services should ensure provision of care for these patients as well as planning for those affected by future COVID-19 waves.

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reetings and welcome to a new year. January 1, 2021, is the starting point for my journey as Editor in Chief of The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA). Taking on this position is an honor and a tremendous opportunity to advance the dissemination of oral health knowledge and provide readers with important and practical information that is directed at helping improve health care. This role comes with the responsibility of working to ensure that information published in JADA is of the highest quality and based on excellent evidence and science. I will work to build on my predecessors' successes, and I would like to thank Dr. Jeffrey A. Platt for his role as Interim Editor in Chief and Dr. Michael Glick who served as the longest standing JADA Editor in Chief.What is my background and how will I strive to move JADA forward? My family roots are from West Virginia, and my father was an academician. I completed my dental degree at West Virginia University, worked in dental public health in southern Appalachia for 2 years, and then completed my specialty training in pediatric dentistry. My clinical and research interests led me to complete a cariology fellowship and an American Dental Associationesponsored teacher training fellowship in medical genetics. On completion of my graduate studies and fellowships, my career focused on teaching, research, and patient care. My experiences with organized dentistry, my passion for the profession, and my desire to see the very best in health care for all people will guide me in this new endeavor as Editor in Chief of JADA.Moving into 2021 is something many people welcome as they are ready to say goodbye to 2020, a year that started with a global pandemic and continued to present new trials and contests with each passing month. The pandemic has claimed over 1.4 million lives globally. During the past year, there has been intense social unrest, and we recently emerged from historical political races across the United States. The global transformation that occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic was devastating to watch as whole countries shut down while trying to stem viral spread. Businesses and schools closed, terms like "social distancing" and "flatten the curve" became part of our vernacular, and the health care system was stressed in ways that few had ever imagined. There is no doubt that dentistry was changed by the events of 2020, as were research and science.In January 2020, little was known about severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The unknowns included such fundamentals as the mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, the health outcomes of those infected, and the populations at greatest risk of experiencing morbidity and mortality. Scientists and health care workers across the globe went into overtime investigating this pathogen, its molecular machinery, clinical testing of infection, therapeutics, and the development of vaccines. The impact on health care delivery brought about dramatic changes in how care is provided. These change...

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