Lund Ingunn Olea, Jensen Pia, Madsen Christian, Hauge Lars Johan, Havdahl Alexandra, Reneflot Anne, Brandlistuen Ragnhild, Ask Helga
PsychGen Center for Genetic Epidemiology and Mental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, PO Box 222, Skøyen, Oslo, 0213, Norway.
Department of Child Health and Development, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
BMC Psychiatry. 2025 Jan 22;25(1):68. doi: 10.1186/s12888-024-06422-7.
The COVID-19 pandemic introduced complexities that were likely more demanding for some groups, such as children and adolescents, and especially those with pre-existing mental health diagnoses. This study examines long-term patterns of psychiatric healthcare use among this vulnerable group, providing insights into shifts in psychiatric healthcare use during a global health crisis.
We use data from the primary and specialist healthcare registries available from the Norwegian emergency preparedness register for COVID-19 (Beredt C19) to estimate patterns of psychiatric healthcare use. The data spans 2017 to 2022, covering children and adolescents aged 6-19. We identified young people with recent diagnoses of mental health conditions and compared weekly consultation volumes before and during the pandemic for mental health conditions overall and the following diagnostic or symptom categories separately: anxiety/depression and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD). Analyses were stratified by gender.
There was a consistent trend of lower-than-predicted weekly healthcare consultations among young people with pre-existing mental health diagnoses in both primary and specialist healthcare during the pandemic. The reduction was more pronounced in later follow-up periods. The study highlights gender disparities, with boys experiencing more notable declines in healthcare consultations, especially in specialist care. Additionally, the time trends varied across different diagnostic groups. While consultations for anxiety/depression were consistently below the predicted levels, declines in ADHD occurred later in the pandemic. The data suggests an overall decline in healthcare use rather than a shift between sectors.
The findings offer insights into healthcare use during pandemic times among children and adolescents with pre-existing mental health diagnoses. The study underscores the importance of continuous monitoring and support for this group, ensuring accessible and responsive healthcare during public health emergencies.
新冠疫情带来了诸多复杂性，对某些群体，如儿童和青少年，尤其是那些已有心理健康诊断的人群，可能要求更高。本研究调查了这一弱势群体中精神科医疗服务使用的长期模式，为全球健康危机期间精神科医疗服务使用的变化提供了见解。
我们使用挪威新冠疫情应急准备登记册（Beredt C19）中的初级和专科医疗登记数据来估计精神科医疗服务的使用模式。数据涵盖2017年至2022年，涉及6至19岁的儿童和青少年。我们确定了近期被诊断患有精神疾病的年轻人，并比较了疫情前和疫情期间总体精神疾病以及以下诊断或症状类别（焦虑/抑郁和注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD））的每周会诊量。分析按性别分层。
在疫情期间，无论是初级医疗还是专科医疗中，已有心理健康诊断的年轻人的每周医疗会诊量一直低于预期。在后续随访期，这种减少更为明显。该研究突出了性别差异，男孩的医疗会诊量下降更为显著，尤其是在专科护理方面。此外，不同诊断组的时间趋势各不相同。虽然焦虑/抑郁的会诊量一直低于预期水平，但ADHD的会诊量在疫情后期才出现下降。数据表明医疗服务使用总体下降，而非部门间的转移。
这些发现为疫情期间已有心理健康诊断的儿童和青少年的医疗服务使用情况提供了见解。该研究强调了对这一群体持续监测和支持的重要性，确保在公共卫生紧急情况期间提供可及且响应迅速的医疗服务。
