Pediatric psychiatric emergency rooms during COVID-19: a multi-center study
Abstract Background The COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has been a major stressor for the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents. Surveys and reports from hotlines indicate a significant rise in mental health problems. As the psychiatric emergency room (ER) is a first-line free-of-c...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2022-12-01
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| Series: | BMC Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-04371-7 |
| _version_ | 1797973564831301632 |
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| author | Galit Erez Sol Yakubovich Hadar Sadeh Gal Shoval Gila Schoen Gal Meiri Nimrod Hertz-Palmor Tali Butler Yael Barzilai Mariela Mosheva Doron Gothelf Yuval Bloch |
| author_facet | Galit Erez Sol Yakubovich Hadar Sadeh Gal Shoval Gila Schoen Gal Meiri Nimrod Hertz-Palmor Tali Butler Yael Barzilai Mariela Mosheva Doron Gothelf Yuval Bloch |
| author_sort | Galit Erez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has been a major stressor for the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents. Surveys and reports from hotlines indicate a significant rise in mental health problems. As the psychiatric emergency room (ER) is a first-line free-of-charge facility for psychiatric emergencies, we expected to see a significant increase in visits, specifically of new patients suffering from anxiety, depression, or stress-related disorders. Methods Data from two psychiatric hospital ERs and one general hospital were included. All visits of children and adolescents from the computerized files between March and December of 2019 were analyzed anonymously and compared to the same months in 2020, using multilevel linear modeling. Results There was a significant decline in the total number of visits (p = .017), specifically among those diagnosed as suffering from stress-related, anxiety, and mood disorder groups (p = .017), and an incline in the proportion of visits of severe mental disorders (p = .029). Discussion The limited use of child and adolescent psychiatric emergency facilities during the pandemic highlights the importance of tele-psychiatry as part of emergency services. It also suggests the importance of the timeline of the emergence of clinically relevant new psychiatric diagnoses related to the pandemic. Future studies are needed to establish the long-term effects of the pandemic and the expeditious use of tele-psychiatry. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T04:05:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-67a62d37a7834d80b93f9ebf5eb4f5bc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-244X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T04:05:12Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-67a62d37a7834d80b93f9ebf5eb4f5bc2023-01-01T12:24:23ZengBMCBMC Psychiatry1471-244X2022-12-012211810.1186/s12888-022-04371-7Pediatric psychiatric emergency rooms during COVID-19: a multi-center studyGalit Erez0Sol Yakubovich1Hadar Sadeh2Gal Shoval3Gila Schoen4Gal Meiri5Nimrod Hertz-Palmor6Tali Butler7Yael Barzilai8Mariela Mosheva9Doron Gothelf10Yuval Bloch11Shalvata Mental Health Center and Tel Aviv UniversityShalvata Mental Health CenterSoroka Medical Center and Ben-Gurion University of the NegevGeha Mental Health Center and Tel Aviv UniversityGeha Mental Health Center and Tel Aviv UniversitySoroka Medical Center and Ben-Gurion University of the NegevSheba Medical Center and Tel Aviv UniversityZiv Medical Center (Safed) and Bar-Ilan UniversityShalvata Mental Health CenterSheba Medical Center and Tel Aviv UniversitySheba Medical Center and Tel Aviv UniversityShalvata Mental Health Center and Tel Aviv UniversityAbstract Background The COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has been a major stressor for the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents. Surveys and reports from hotlines indicate a significant rise in mental health problems. As the psychiatric emergency room (ER) is a first-line free-of-charge facility for psychiatric emergencies, we expected to see a significant increase in visits, specifically of new patients suffering from anxiety, depression, or stress-related disorders. Methods Data from two psychiatric hospital ERs and one general hospital were included. All visits of children and adolescents from the computerized files between March and December of 2019 were analyzed anonymously and compared to the same months in 2020, using multilevel linear modeling. Results There was a significant decline in the total number of visits (p = .017), specifically among those diagnosed as suffering from stress-related, anxiety, and mood disorder groups (p = .017), and an incline in the proportion of visits of severe mental disorders (p = .029). Discussion The limited use of child and adolescent psychiatric emergency facilities during the pandemic highlights the importance of tele-psychiatry as part of emergency services. It also suggests the importance of the timeline of the emergence of clinically relevant new psychiatric diagnoses related to the pandemic. Future studies are needed to establish the long-term effects of the pandemic and the expeditious use of tele-psychiatry.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-04371-7COVID-19Psychiatric emergency roomChildren & adolescentsStress-relatedSevere mental disorder |
| spellingShingle | Galit Erez Sol Yakubovich Hadar Sadeh Gal Shoval Gila Schoen Gal Meiri Nimrod Hertz-Palmor Tali Butler Yael Barzilai Mariela Mosheva Doron Gothelf Yuval Bloch Pediatric psychiatric emergency rooms during COVID-19: a multi-center study BMC Psychiatry COVID-19 Psychiatric emergency room Children & adolescents Stress-related Severe mental disorder |
| title | Pediatric psychiatric emergency rooms during COVID-19: a multi-center study |
| title_full | Pediatric psychiatric emergency rooms during COVID-19: a multi-center study |
| title_fullStr | Pediatric psychiatric emergency rooms during COVID-19: a multi-center study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pediatric psychiatric emergency rooms during COVID-19: a multi-center study |
| title_short | Pediatric psychiatric emergency rooms during COVID-19: a multi-center study |
| title_sort | pediatric psychiatric emergency rooms during covid 19 a multi center study |
| topic | COVID-19 Psychiatric emergency room Children & adolescents Stress-related Severe mental disorder |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-04371-7 |
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