Psychiatry Service, Santa Maria de Lleida University Hospital, Lleida, Spain.
IRB Lleida, Spain.
Crisis. 2024 Jan;45(1):8-17. doi: 10.1027/0227-5910/a000896. Epub 2023 Jan 13.
The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the mental health of the population. The lockdown period in Spain - from March 14 to June 21, 2020 - was particularly stressful. This study aims to examine the differences in visits to the emergency department for psychiatric reasons before and during the lockdown period in a hospital in the province of Lleida (Catalonia, Spain), which has a catchment area of 431,183 inhabitants. We hope that this study can contribute to the understanding of this difficult period in our recent history and help us to be prepared in case of new social emergencies that may affect the mental health of the general population. This study aims to examine the differences in ER visits due to psychiatric reasons before and during the COVID-19 lockdown period in a province hospital in Spain. We compared the = 1,599 visits to the emergency room and their characteristics before (June 13 to March 13, 2020) and during (March 14 to June 21, 2020) the lockdown period in the province of Lerida, Spain. Data were obtained from the electronic health records. Information collected included sociodemographic variables, reason for consultation, previous diagnosis, and characteristics of suicidal ideation and attempts - including history of previous suicidal behavior, method, days spent in the ER, suicide reattempts at 6-month follow-up. Before lockdown, there were an average of 11.2 psychiatric emergencies per day compared with 9.2 psychiatric emergencies per day during lockdown. Regarding suicidal behavior, before lockdown, there were an average of 0.9 suicide attempts before lockdown compared with 0.7 attempts per day during lockdown. Since the data came from the electronic health records, we have relied on the clinical diagnosis made by different psychiatrists. Also, we did not record psychiatric comorbidities, but instead only registered one main Axis I diagnosis and one main Axis II diagnosis. We observed a decrease in the number of visits to the ER in general, as well as a lower frequency of patients with suicidal behavior during the first and only lockdown period in Spain, which occurred during the initial months of the pandemic. This is consistent with previous studies showing a reduction of suicidal behavior during periods of social emergency. However, this decrease could be only temporary, and several authors predict an increase of suicidal behavior in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis. Ensuring access to mental healthcare during periods of crisis is crucial for the population.
COVID-19 大流行对人口的心理健康产生了重大影响。西班牙的封锁期 - 从 2020 年 3 月 14 日至 6 月 21 日 - 尤为紧张。本研究旨在研究在西班牙莱里达省（加泰罗尼亚）的一家医院，在封锁期之前和期间因精神科原因前往急诊室就诊的差异，该医院的服务区有 431,183 名居民。我们希望这项研究有助于我们理解我们近代史上的这一困难时期，并帮助我们为可能影响一般人群心理健康的新社会紧急情况做好准备。本研究旨在研究西班牙一家省医院在 COVID-19 封锁期间之前和期间因精神科原因前往急诊室就诊的差异。我们比较了西班牙莱里达省在封锁期间（2020 年 3 月 14 日至 6 月 21 日）和封锁前（2020 年 6 月 13 日至 3 月 13 日）的急诊室就诊次数及其特征。数据来自电子健康记录。收集的信息包括社会人口统计学变量、咨询原因、先前诊断以及自杀意念和尝试的特征 - 包括先前自杀行为的历史、方法、在急诊室度过的天数、6 个月随访时的自杀再尝试。在封锁之前，平均每天有 11.2 例精神科急症，而在封锁期间平均每天有 9.2 例精神科急症。关于自杀行为，在封锁之前，平均每天有 0.9 次自杀尝试，而在封锁期间每天有 0.7 次尝试。由于数据来自电子健康记录，我们依赖于不同精神科医生做出的临床诊断。此外，我们没有记录精神科合并症，而是只登记了一个主要轴 I 诊断和一个主要轴 II 诊断。我们观察到急诊室就诊次数总体减少，以及在西班牙首次也是唯一一次封锁期间自杀行为的频率降低，该封锁发生在大流行的最初几个月。这与先前表明在社会紧急情况下自杀行为减少的研究一致。然而，这种减少可能只是暂时的，一些作者预测 COVID-19 危机过后自杀行为会增加。在危机期间确保获得精神保健服务对人口至关重要。
