Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatric Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, University Hospital of Padua, 35128, Padua, Italy.
Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation, University of Padua, 35131, Padua, Italy.
Ital J Pediatr. 2022 Feb 5;48(1):23. doi: 10.1186/s13052-022-01213-w.
Since the first months of 2020, Italy and the world have been facing the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the dangerous and potentially deadly effects on physical health, it has caused a radical change in the lifestyle of the population and a potential danger for mental health too. These events were inserted into the context of a growing epidemiological trend regarding children's psychiatric disorders in the past decade.
To study the population of patients admitted to a Neuropsychiatric Hospital Unit of North Italy in the first COVID-19 year, comparing them with the population of patients hospitalised during the year immediately before, according to sociodemographic and clinical variables.
The study is an observational retrospective cohort. In total, 198 patients hospitalised due to neuropsychiatric problems from February 2019 to March 2021 were recruited. Data were analysed through mean and standard deviation, t-test, percentages, chi square test, and the Fischer exact test.
Risk factors associated with mental health disorders were similar between the two years. The hospitalisation modality showed a decrease in scheduled hospitalisations compared to urgent ones, and among the reasons that led patients to hospitalisation there was a conspicuous increase in eating disorders. More suicidal and self-harming behaviours occurred in the COVID-19 group too, compared to the previous year. The methods used to attempt suicide were changed considerably, with a prevalence of that attempted within the home. Changes in pharmacological therapies also occurred, necessary for more than 80% of inpatients during the COVID year, with a greater use of neuroleptics. There were alarming data about hospitalisation relapses, which increased from 12.2% in the pre-COVID year to 35.0% in the COVID year.
Data shed light on clinical and policy issues in mental health care during the developmental age. Since the COVID-19 health emergency is not yet over, and its effects, especially on mental health, will be long-term, it is necessary to implement services and activities dedicated to both primary and secondary prevention of neuropsychiatric diseases especially during adolescent ages.
自 2020 年初以来，意大利和全世界一直面临着 COVID-19 大流行。除了对身体健康造成危险和潜在致命的影响外，它还导致了人们生活方式的根本改变，也对心理健康构成潜在威胁。这些事件发生在过去十年中儿童精神疾病发病率不断上升的背景下。
研究意大利北部一家神经精神病医院单元在 COVID-19 第一年收治的患者人群，并根据社会人口统计学和临床变量，将其与前一年同期住院的患者人群进行比较。
该研究是一项观察性回顾性队列研究。共纳入了 198 名因神经精神问题住院的患者，时间为 2019 年 2 月至 2021 年 3 月。通过均值和标准差、t 检验、百分比、卡方检验和 Fischer 精确检验对数据进行分析。
两年间与精神健康障碍相关的危险因素相似。住院模式显示，与紧急住院相比，预约住院有所减少，导致患者住院的原因中，饮食失调明显增多。与前一年相比，COVID-19 组也出现了更多的自杀和自残行为。试图自杀的方法也发生了很大变化，在家中试图自杀的比例很高。COVID 年期间，超过 80%的住院患者需要改变药物治疗，抗精神病药物的使用增加。住院复发的数据令人震惊，从 COVID 前一年的 12.2%增加到 COVID 年的 35.0%。
数据揭示了发展年龄阶段精神卫生保健的临床和政策问题。由于 COVID-19 卫生紧急情况尚未结束，其对心理健康的影响将是长期的，因此有必要开展专门针对神经精神疾病的一级和二级预防的服务和活动，特别是在青少年时期。
