Psychiatric Admissions, Referrals, and Suicidal Behavior Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Denmark: A Time-Trend Study
Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has affected mental health globally, but the impact on referrals and admissions to mental health services remains understudied. Objectives To assess patterns in psychiatric admissions, referrals, and suicidal behavior before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in De...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press
2022-06-01
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| Series: | European Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933822013591/type/journal_article |
| Summary: | Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected mental health globally, but the impact on referrals and admissions to mental health services remains understudied.
Objectives
To assess patterns in psychiatric admissions, referrals, and suicidal behavior before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark.
Methods
Utilizing hospital and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) health records covering 46% of the Danish population, we compared psychiatric in-patients, referrals to mental health services and suicidal behavior in years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic to levels during the first lockdown (March 11 – May 17, 2020), inter-lockdown period (May 18 – December 15, 2020), and second lockdown (December 16, 2020 – February 28, 2021) using negative binomial models.
Results
The rate of psychiatric in-patients declined compared to pre-pandemic levels (RR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.94 – 0.96, p < 0.01). Referrals were not significantly different (RR = 1.01, 95% CI = 0.92 – 1.10, p = 0.91) during the pandemic; neither was suicidal behavior among hospital contacts (RR = 1.04, 95% CI = 0.94 – 1.14, p = 0.48) nor EMS contacts (RR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.00 – 1.18, p = 0.06). In the age group <18, an increase in the rate of psychiatric in-patients (RR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.07 – 1.15, p < 0.01) was observed during the pandemic; however, this did not exceed the pre-pandemic, upwards trend in psychiatric hospitalizations in the age group <18 (p = 0.78).
Conclusions
The pandemic was associated with a decrease in psychiatric hospitalizations. No significant change was observed in referrals and suicidal behavior.
Disclosure
No significant relationships.
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| ISSN: | 0924-9338 1778-3585 |