WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Cairo, Egypt.
East Mediterr Health J. 2022 May 29;28(5):321-328. doi: 10.26719/emhj.22.018.
Mental health has been identified by the World Health Organization as an integral component of the COVID-19 response.
This study aimed to estimate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental, neurological and substance use disorders (MNS) services in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
The assessment was conducted through a web-based survey that was completed by national mental health focal persons and was analysed between June and August 2020.
School and workplace mental health services were wholly or partially disrupted in more than 70% of reporting countries. Fewer than 20% of the countries in the Region reported full operations of mental health services for children and adolescents or for older adults. The main reasons were travel restrictions, decreases in inpatient volumes due to the cancellation of elective care, decreases in outpatient volumes due to patients not presenting, and health authority directives for the closure of outpatient services. The majority (85%) of countries responded by establishing MNS helplines using telemedicine/teletherapy and digital psychological interventions. The fragile and conflict-affected states relied mostly on implementing infection prevention and control measures at MNS service facilities. Gaps were identified in the areas of addictive behaviours, substance use and neurology research related to the pandemic.
The assessment highlights the need to strengthen capacities for monitoring changes in service delivery and utilization, and documents evidence on what works in different settings during the different phases of the pandemic to facilitate informed decisions related to the nature and timing of adaptations to service delivery.
世界卫生组织已将心理健康确定为应对 COVID-19 的一个组成部分。
本研究旨在评估 COVID-19 大流行对东地中海区域精神、神经和物质使用障碍（MNS）服务的影响。
评估是通过一项基于网络的调查进行的，由国家心理健康联络人完成，并于 2020 年 6 月至 8 月进行了分析。
在报告的国家中，超过 70%的国家完全或部分中断了学校和工作场所的心理健康服务。该区域不到 20%的国家报告说，儿童和青少年或老年人的精神卫生服务全面运作。主要原因是旅行限制、由于取消择期护理而减少住院人数、由于患者未出现而减少门诊人数，以及卫生当局关于关闭门诊服务的指令。大多数国家（85%）通过使用远程医疗/远程治疗和数字心理干预建立 MNS 求助热线来应对。脆弱和受冲突影响的国家主要依靠在 MNS 服务设施实施感染预防和控制措施。在与大流行相关的成瘾行为、物质使用和神经病学研究方面存在差距。
评估强调需要加强监测服务提供和利用变化的能力，并记录在大流行不同阶段的不同环境中有效的证据，以促进与服务提供性质和时间有关的决策。
