Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Research, Neuropsychology, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Eisengasse 16, 8008, Zurich, Switzerland.
Swiss Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Bern, Switzerland.
J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2022 Jun;129(5-6):675-688. doi: 10.1007/s00702-022-02512-6. Epub 2022 Jun 2.
The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental well-being of clinically referred children and adolescents and on their families from the perspective of mental health care professionals in Switzerland during the first year of the pandemic. Psychiatrists and psychologists for children and adolescents participated in an anonymous survey conducted online in April/May 2021. The survey was completed by 454 mental health care professionals, most of them working in outpatient clinics for child and adolescent psychiatry or in independent practices. Most participants indicated an important increase of referrals for depression (86.8% of respondents), anxiety disorders (81.5%), crisis interventions (76.2%), psychosomatic disorders (66.1%), suicidality (63.8%), and behavioral addictions, e.g., excessive gaming (64.6%). In contrast, referrals or treatment demands for disorders such as autism spectrum disorder or psychosis showed no substantial change or a slight decrease, respectively. According to 69% of respondents, patients experienced the highest psychological burden in January/February/March 2021. Family problems very frequently reported by mental health professionals were parents' worries about loneliness/isolation of the child (49%), child's education and academic future (33%), increased media use due to missing options of recreational activities (37.6%), as well as multiple stresses of mothers (36.3%). To conclude, the pandemic has substantially changed the pattern of disorders and the number of clinical referrals of children and adolescents with mental health problems, which has serious consequences for the treatment supply in Switzerland.
这项研究的目的是评估 COVID-19 大流行对瑞士精神卫生保健专业人员眼中临床转介的儿童和青少年及其家庭的心理健康的影响，这是大流行第一年的情况。儿童和青少年精神科医生和心理学家参与了 2021 年 4 月/5 月进行的在线匿名调查。该调查由 454 名精神卫生保健专业人员完成，他们大多数在儿童和青少年精神病学的门诊诊所或独立诊所工作。大多数参与者表示转介抑郁症（86.8%的受访者）、焦虑症（81.5%）、危机干预（76.2%）、心身障碍（66.1%）、自杀意念（63.8%）和行为成瘾（如过度游戏）的人数显著增加（64.6%）。相比之下，自闭症谱系障碍或精神病的转介或治疗需求分别没有实质性变化或略有下降。根据 69%的受访者的说法，患者在 2021 年 1 月/2 月/3 月经历了最大的心理负担。精神卫生专业人员经常报告的家庭问题是父母担心孩子的孤独/隔离（49%）、孩子的教育和未来学业（33%）、由于娱乐活动选择缺失导致的媒体使用增加（37.6%），以及母亲的多重压力（36.3%）。总之，大流行极大地改变了儿童和青少年精神健康问题的疾病模式和临床转介数量，这对瑞士的治疗供应产生了严重影响。
