Incidence of mental health diagnoses during the COVID-19 pandemic: a multinational network study

Abstract

Aims Population-wide restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic may create barriers to mental health diagnosis. This study aims to examine changes in the number of incident cases and the incidence rates of mental health diagnoses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods By using electronic health records from France, Germany, Italy, South Korea and the UK and claims data from the US, this study conducted interrupted time-series analyses to compare the monthly incident cases and the incidence of depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, alcohol misuse or dependence, substance misuse or dependence, bipolar disorders, personality disorders and psychoses diagnoses before (January 2017 to February 2020) and after (April 2020 to the latest available date of each database [up to November 2021]) the introduction of COVID-related restrictions. Results A total of 629,712,954 individuals were enrolled across nine databases. Following the introduction of restrictions, an immediate decline was observed in the number of incident cases of all mental health diagnoses in the US (rate ratios (RRs) ranged from 0.005 to 0.677) and in the incidence of all conditions in France, Germany, Italy and the US (RRs ranged from 0.002 to 0.422). In the UK, significant reductions were only observed in common mental illnesses. The number of incident cases and the incidence began to return to or exceed pre-pandemic levels in most countries from mid-2020 through 2021. Conclusions Healthcare providers should be prepared to deliver service adaptations to mitigate burdens directly or indirectly caused by delays in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions.

Incidence of Panic Disorder Diagnoses After Celebrity Disclosures of Panic Disorder in South Korea

“…Despite reports of increased anxiety symptoms during the pandemic, these did not translate to a major rise in mental health service use. Studies, including one using NHIS data, found minimal changes in mental health service use, in line with the findings of a recent multinational study showing an initial decrease in mental health diagnoses during the pandemic, followed by a gradual recovery …”

“…Studies, including one using NHIS data, 37 found minimal changes in mental health service use, in line with the findings of a recent multinational study showing an initial decrease in mental health diagnoses during the pandemic, followed by a gradual recovery. 38 …”

“…Studies, including one using NHIS data, 37 found minimal changes in mental health service use, in line with the findings of a recent multinational study showing an initial decrease in mental health diagnoses during the pandemic, followed by a gradual recovery. 38 With their extensive reach and influence, celebrities were seen as capable of reshaping public attitudes and beliefs about mental health conditions. 39 However, much of the research supporting these observations is anecdotal and lacks methodological rigor; there's also a lack of evidence on the long-term impact of celebrity disclosures in reducing stigma or improving mental health literacy among the general population.…”