A psychiatrist's perspective from a COVID-19 epicentre: a personal account
BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has and will have a huge impact on mental health, especially in countries that have been significantly affected, such as Spain.AimsHere we aim to provide the perspectives of a group of psychiatrists from Barcelona, one of the epicentres of the pandemic so far, to high...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2020-09-01
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| Series: | BJPsych Open |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472420000836/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1811157028905680896 |
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| author | Isabella Pacchiarotti Gerard Anmella Giovanna Fico Norma Verdolini Eduard Vieta |
| author_facet | Isabella Pacchiarotti Gerard Anmella Giovanna Fico Norma Verdolini Eduard Vieta |
| author_sort | Isabella Pacchiarotti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has and will have a huge impact on mental health, especially in countries that have been significantly affected, such as Spain.AimsHere we aim to provide the perspectives of a group of psychiatrists from Barcelona, one of the epicentres of the pandemic so far, to highlight the potential fatality of a virus that caught us unaware and unprepared, and hopefully this article will be of aid to countries about to face the pandemic.ResultsThe unprecedented situations that we have been faced with so far have included reconfiguring hospitals and the redeployment of healthcare professionals, with flexibility and adaptability key to managing the overload in demand. This has led to healthcare professionals being exposed to extremely stressful situations and they have had impossible decisions to make that may have mental health consequences, some of which may be severe and long lasting.ConclusionsA rebound effect on mental health problems is to be expected in the medium and long term, especially for healthcare professionals and psychiatric patients, necessitating a strengthening of preventive approaches and policies for mental health along with a prompt reopening of mental health services. Ways to provide psychiatric healthcare in the immediate future need to be re-evaluated, and the development of telepsychiatry services is probably to be expected. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:59:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a7dd7c59f6a440ca8a3eb462eb28c66c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2056-4724 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:59:24Z |
| publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BJPsych Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-a7dd7c59f6a440ca8a3eb462eb28c66c2023-03-09T12:29:04ZengCambridge University PressBJPsych Open2056-47242020-09-01610.1192/bjo.2020.83A psychiatrist's perspective from a COVID-19 epicentre: a personal accountIsabella Pacchiarotti0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7822-0367Gerard Anmella1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6798-4054Giovanna Fico2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1785-7126Norma Verdolini3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9488-2881Eduard Vieta4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0548-0053Bipolar and Depressive Disorders Unit, Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERSAM, SpainBipolar and Depressive Disorders Unit, Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERSAM, SpainBipolar and Depressive Disorders Unit, Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERSAM, SpainBipolar and Depressive Disorders Unit, Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERSAM, SpainBipolar and Depressive Disorders Unit, Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERSAM, SpainBackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has and will have a huge impact on mental health, especially in countries that have been significantly affected, such as Spain.AimsHere we aim to provide the perspectives of a group of psychiatrists from Barcelona, one of the epicentres of the pandemic so far, to highlight the potential fatality of a virus that caught us unaware and unprepared, and hopefully this article will be of aid to countries about to face the pandemic.ResultsThe unprecedented situations that we have been faced with so far have included reconfiguring hospitals and the redeployment of healthcare professionals, with flexibility and adaptability key to managing the overload in demand. This has led to healthcare professionals being exposed to extremely stressful situations and they have had impossible decisions to make that may have mental health consequences, some of which may be severe and long lasting.ConclusionsA rebound effect on mental health problems is to be expected in the medium and long term, especially for healthcare professionals and psychiatric patients, necessitating a strengthening of preventive approaches and policies for mental health along with a prompt reopening of mental health services. Ways to provide psychiatric healthcare in the immediate future need to be re-evaluated, and the development of telepsychiatry services is probably to be expected.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472420000836/type/journal_articleCOVID-19SARS-CoV-2psychiatrymental healthtelemedicine |
| spellingShingle | Isabella Pacchiarotti Gerard Anmella Giovanna Fico Norma Verdolini Eduard Vieta A psychiatrist's perspective from a COVID-19 epicentre: a personal account BJPsych Open COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 psychiatry mental health telemedicine |
| title | A psychiatrist's perspective from a COVID-19 epicentre: a personal account |
| title_full | A psychiatrist's perspective from a COVID-19 epicentre: a personal account |
| title_fullStr | A psychiatrist's perspective from a COVID-19 epicentre: a personal account |
| title_full_unstemmed | A psychiatrist's perspective from a COVID-19 epicentre: a personal account |
| title_short | A psychiatrist's perspective from a COVID-19 epicentre: a personal account |
| title_sort | psychiatrist s perspective from a covid 19 epicentre a personal account |
| topic | COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 psychiatry mental health telemedicine |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472420000836/type/journal_article |
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