The effect of COVID-19 lockdown on psychiatric admissions: role of gender
Background The UK went into nationwide lockdown on 24 March 2020, in response to COVID-19. The direct psychiatric effects of this are relatively unknown. Aims We examined whether the first UK lockdown changed the demographics of patients admitted to psychiatric hospitals (to include gender, legali...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2021-07-01
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| Series: | BJPsych Open |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472421009273/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1811156893664542720 |
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| author | Monica Davies Luke Hogarth |
| author_facet | Monica Davies Luke Hogarth |
| author_sort | Monica Davies |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Background
The UK went into nationwide lockdown on 24 March 2020, in response to COVID-19. The direct psychiatric effects of this are relatively unknown.
Aims
We examined whether the first UK lockdown changed the demographics of patients admitted to psychiatric hospitals (to include gender, legality, route of admission and diagnoses), independent of seasonal variation..
Method
We conducted an anonymous review of psychiatric admissions aged ≥18 years in the 6-month period after the announcement of the first UK lockdown (March to August 2020), and in the previous year (March to August 2019), in Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust in-patient facilities. The number of admissions were compared, along with factors that may help to explain the psychological effects of national lockdown.
Results
There was no significant increase in total number of admissions or the gender percentage. However, there was a 11.8% increase in formal sectioning under the Mental Health Act 1983. This increase was sustained and statistically significant across all 6 months. A sustained decrease in admissions via the crisis team was also observed as being statistically significant. Separate diagnoses saw changes in percentage of admissions between March and May. The most statistically significant was schizophrenia admissions for men in April (18.7%), and women in March (18.4%).
Conclusions
Our findings highlight the effect of COVID-19 on the legal status of psychiatric admissions, and emphasise the importance of having a robust, adaptable and open psychiatric service that caters to the ongoing needs of patients, regardless of government restrictions.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:58:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-01c9834133c6435da7162a789a47c8bf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2056-4724 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:58:42Z |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BJPsych Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-01c9834133c6435da7162a789a47c8bf2023-03-09T12:29:07ZengCambridge University PressBJPsych Open2056-47242021-07-01710.1192/bjo.2021.927The effect of COVID-19 lockdown on psychiatric admissions: role of genderMonica Davies0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3519-2981Luke Hogarth1Psychiatry, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, UKPsychiatry, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, UK Background The UK went into nationwide lockdown on 24 March 2020, in response to COVID-19. The direct psychiatric effects of this are relatively unknown. Aims We examined whether the first UK lockdown changed the demographics of patients admitted to psychiatric hospitals (to include gender, legality, route of admission and diagnoses), independent of seasonal variation.. Method We conducted an anonymous review of psychiatric admissions aged ≥18 years in the 6-month period after the announcement of the first UK lockdown (March to August 2020), and in the previous year (March to August 2019), in Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust in-patient facilities. The number of admissions were compared, along with factors that may help to explain the psychological effects of national lockdown. Results There was no significant increase in total number of admissions or the gender percentage. However, there was a 11.8% increase in formal sectioning under the Mental Health Act 1983. This increase was sustained and statistically significant across all 6 months. A sustained decrease in admissions via the crisis team was also observed as being statistically significant. Separate diagnoses saw changes in percentage of admissions between March and May. The most statistically significant was schizophrenia admissions for men in April (18.7%), and women in March (18.4%). Conclusions Our findings highlight the effect of COVID-19 on the legal status of psychiatric admissions, and emphasise the importance of having a robust, adaptable and open psychiatric service that caters to the ongoing needs of patients, regardless of government restrictions. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472421009273/type/journal_articleEpidemiologyCOVID-19genderadmissionslegal status |
| spellingShingle | Monica Davies Luke Hogarth The effect of COVID-19 lockdown on psychiatric admissions: role of gender BJPsych Open Epidemiology COVID-19 gender admissions legal status |
| title | The effect of COVID-19 lockdown on psychiatric admissions: role of gender |
| title_full | The effect of COVID-19 lockdown on psychiatric admissions: role of gender |
| title_fullStr | The effect of COVID-19 lockdown on psychiatric admissions: role of gender |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effect of COVID-19 lockdown on psychiatric admissions: role of gender |
| title_short | The effect of COVID-19 lockdown on psychiatric admissions: role of gender |
| title_sort | effect of covid 19 lockdown on psychiatric admissions role of gender |
| topic | Epidemiology COVID-19 gender admissions legal status |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472421009273/type/journal_article |
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