Prodi Tiziano, Dragogna Filippo, Benatti Beatrice, Varinelli Alberto, Vanzetto Simone, Gianfelice Letizia, Dell'Osso Bernardo
Department of Mental Health, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences "Luigi Sacco", University of Milan.
Department of Mental Health, Psychiatry 1 Unit, Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Milan.
Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 2025 Jul 1;40(4):224-231. doi: 10.1097/YIC.0000000000000565. Epub 2024 Aug 22.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant rise in mental health issues was observed. Particularly, children and adolescents have shown a higher risk of developing mental disorders than adults. This study aimed to describe the evolving features of the requests for psychiatric emergency interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic in young people. We conducted a cross-sectional study comparing the number, characteristics, and symptoms of people aged between 12 and 18 years old attending one Emergency Department (ED) for psychiatric issues, considering three different periods: T0 (8 March 2019-7 March 2020), T1 (8 March 2020-7 March 2021), and T2 (8 March 2021-7 March 2022). Total admissions were 220: 99 (45%) during T0, 40 (18.1%) for T1, and 81 (36.8%) for T2 ( P < 0.001). A significant decrease in the mean age from T0 to T1 was found ( P < 0.01). Admissions for psychomotor agitation decreased, while admission due to anxiety disorder and nonsuicidal self-injury raised significantly ( P < 0.05), as for first psychiatric presentation ( P < 0.01). Regarding substance use, a significant reduction was observed ( P < 0.05). The rates of eating disorders ( P < 0.001) and early insomnia ( P < 0.01) increased from T0. These findings highlight the worsening of psychiatric symptoms in the young population during the COVID-19 pandemic.
在新冠疫情期间，人们观察到心理健康问题显著增加。特别是，儿童和青少年患精神障碍的风险高于成年人。本研究旨在描述新冠疫情期间年轻人精神科紧急干预需求的演变特征。我们进行了一项横断面研究，比较了12至18岁因精神问题前往某急诊科就诊的患者数量、特征和症状，研究考虑了三个不同时期：T0（2019年3月8日至2020年3月7日）、T1（2020年3月8日至2021年3月7日）和T2（2021年3月8日至2022年3月7日）。总入院人数为220人：T0期间99人（45%），T1期间40人（18.1%），T2期间81人（36.8%）（P<0.001）。发现从T0到T1平均年龄显著下降（P<0.01）。精神运动性激越的入院人数减少，而焦虑症和非自杀性自伤导致的入院人数显著增加（P<0.05），首次精神科就诊情况也是如此（P<0.01）。关于物质使用，观察到显著减少（P<0.05）。饮食失调率（P<0.001）和早期失眠率（P<0.01）自T0以来有所增加。这些发现凸显了新冠疫情期间年轻人群精神症状的恶化。
