Psychiatry research
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Psychiatry research · Sep 2020
A COVID-19 testing and triage algorithm for psychiatric units: One hospital's response to the New York region's pandemic.
Psychiatric patients are at high risk for contracting COVID-19, and inpatient psychiatric units face substantial risks of institutional outbreaks. Here, the authors describe an algorithm for testing and triage in a large psychiatric facility designed to prevent local COVID-19 transmission. The algorithm is based on expert opinion and clinical experience between March and April of 2020, during which the institution cared for 47 COVID-19 positive psychiatric inpatients. The implementation of the algorithm is designed to mitigate COVID-19 transmission, preserve the safest and least restrictive treatment environment for psychiatric inpatients, and provide a model adaptable to other institutional settings.
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Psychiatry research · Sep 2020
Comment LetterCOVID-19 online surveys need to follow standards and guidelines: Comment on "does COVID-19 pandemic affect sexual behavior? A cross-sectional, cross-national online survey" and "binge watching behavior during COVID 19 pandemic: A cross-sectional, cross-national online survey"- authors' reply.
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Psychiatry research · Aug 2020
Projected increases in suicide in Canada as a consequence of COVID-19.
Macroeconomic indicators, notably unemployment, are significant moderators of suicide. We projected the number of excess suicides in Canada as a consequence of the impact of COVID-19 on unemployment. Annual suicide mortality (2000-2018) and unemployment (2000-2019) data were derived from Statistics Canada. ⋯ In the second scenario, the projected suicide rates per 100,000 increased to 14.0 in 2020 and 13.6 in 2021, resulting in 2114 excess suicides in 2020-2021. These results indicate that suicide prevention in the context of COVID-19-related unemployment is a critical priority. Furthermore, timely access to mental healthcare, financial provisions and social/labour support programs, as well as optimal treatment for mental disorders is urgently needed.
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Psychiatry research · Aug 2020
LetterLoneliness: A signature mental health concern in the era of COVID-19.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, most communities in the United States imposed stay-at-home orders to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus, potentially leading to chronic social isolation. During the third week of shelter-in-place guidelines, 1,013 U. ⋯ Loneliness was elevated, with 43% of respondents scoring above published cutoffs, and was strongly associated with greater depression and suicidal ideation. Loneliness is a critical public health concern that must be considered during the social isolation efforts to combat the pandemic.