The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Inpatient Admissions for Psychotic and Affective Disorders: The Experience of a Large Psychiatric Teaching Hospital in Romania

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a global sanitary crisis and, in addition, elicited serious mental health consequences. The utilization of psychiatric hospital-based services acts as an indicator of public mental health. Therefore, this research sought to investigate differences in the numbers and characteristics of inpatient admissions for psychotic and affective disorders at the largest Romanian psychiatric hospital between the period of lockdown (March 16–May 15 2020) and another three corresponding periods: the same year in the pre-lockdown period (January 16–March 15 2020), the immediate post-lockdown period (May 16–July 15 2020), and two years later (March 16–May 15 2022). A retrospective analysis was performed. The study included a total of 6604 patients. Inpatient admissions decreased during lockdown in comparison with the pre-lockdown period and immediate post-lockdown period for psychotic disorders (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively) and affective disorders (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). For both psychotic and affective disorders, a decrease in the age of the patients admitted during lockdown, as compared with the pre-lockdown period (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001, respectively), was observed. The length of the hospital stay for affective disorders was higher immediately post-lockdown in comparison with the lockdown period (p < 0.001). Collectively, the present findings provide a glimpse of the immediate and long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures on patients’ access to mental healthcare in the form of hospitalization, and these findings could provide the basis for the development of a different approach to times of crisis.

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown on emergency psychiatry department admissions

“…[21] Therefore, this group might have been less affected by the traumatic conditions created by the pandemic. Similar to our findings, Dionisi et al [22] in Romania found that inpatient admissions for affective and psychotic disorders declined in lockdown compared to the pre-LP, after which a compensatory increase was observed in the number of hospitalizations for psychotic or affective disorders, which did not exceed the prepandemic levels. Although there has not been any major change in emergency ambulance services’ referral of patients to institutions during the pandemic, patients who tested positive for COVID-19 and required psychiatric hospitalization were directed to a healthcare center other than our hospital, as determined by the Ministry of Health.…”

Anxiety and Depression Levels and Coping Strategies among Polish Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Other studies have also reported that a young age is one of the predictors of the appearance of the clinical signs of mental health disorders [ 26 , 28 , 31 ]. The sensitivity of this group is also emphasized by the observation that there was an increased psychiatric hospitalization rate for younger individuals during the pandemic [ 32 , 33 , 34 ]. In addition, younger people were also at an increased risk of committing suicide during this period [ 33 , 35 , 36 ].…”

The impact of COVID-19 on acute psychiatric admissions for first and repeated episode psychosis

“…This is similar to what has been reported in other studies during the initial lockdown period (Abbas et al, 2021; Boldrini et al, 2021; Clerici et al, 2020; Davies & Hogarth, 2021); however, highlighting a more sustained pattern over 12 months. ‘Fear of contagion’ and adjustments to criteria for admission thresholds to reduce infection spread and balancing reduced staff capacity, have been cited as reasons for overall reductions in psychiatric admissions during the post-COVID-19 period (Boldrini et al, 2021; Dionisie et al, 2022).…”