Are the illness severity and treatment efficacy of the patients followed in the child psychiatry inpatient service during the pandemic period different from the ‘'Normal'' period? (eng)

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 pandemic poses a serious threat to health systems and inpatient treatment units. With the increase in the size of the pandemic, it has become a difficult process to carry out routine treatment services. In this study we aimed to compare the clinical profile, illness severity and length of hospitalization of the patients who were hospitalized in the child psychiatry inpatient service during the normal and the pandemic period. METHODS: The patients who were treated in the child psychiatry inpatient service during the the pandemic period (n=19), and previously normal period (n=149) were compared in terms of clinical profile, illness severity and length of hospitalization. Psychiatric diagnoses were assessed using the K-SADS-PL (Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children - Present and Lifetime Version). The Clinical Global Impressions-Severity scale (CGI-S) was applied to all patients in both groups at hospitalization and discharge point. RESULTS: We found that median level of CGI-S hospitalization scores in pandemic period was significantly higher than normal period. A significant negative correlation was found between CGI-S discharge scores and length of hospitalization during pandemic period. In addition, a significant difference was found between the groups in terms of the rate of anxiolytic drugs used. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Anxiety levels of people may increase in disasters such as pandemics, wars, earthquakes. During the pandemic period, patients with higher clinical severity of illness are treated in inpatient treatment units. In these cases, it is important to continue inpatient management without interruption, along with infection-preventive measures.

Keywords

• psychopathology
• mental health services
• child psychiatry
• pandemic