Physical distancing can be challenging certain institutions, such as nursing homes, learning disability nursing or prisons. For institutions such as nursing homes and learning disability nursings, the nature of patients' conditions makes it difficult to manage, while prisons may experience difficulty because of overcrowding.

Smith College

- higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection for those with pre-existing mental health disorders
- Difficulty in following safety measures due to entenuating circumstances
- increased symptoms, relapse, and poorer access to services and supports

Potential consequences of COVID-19 for mental health for people with pre-existing mental health disorders

Moreno, C., Wykes, T., Galderisi, S., Nordentoft, M., Crossley, N., Jones, N., Cannon, M., Correll, C., Byrne, L., Carr, S., Chen, E., Gorwood, P., Johnson, S., Kärkkäinen, H., Krystal, J., Lee, J., Lieberman, J., López-Jaramillo, C., Männikkö, M., Phillips, M., Uchida, H., Vieta, E., Vita, A. and Arango, C., 2020. How mental health care should change as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lancet Psychiatry. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30307-2

How mental health care should change as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic

The risk of developing a mental health disorder is increased when the environment around is more hostile, such as poverty and homelessness, and other comorbid physical conditions may arise. As such, people with mental disorders are at increased risk of infections in general (and thereby potentially at increased risk of COVID-19), and are more likely to develop severe organ dysfunction and to die in ICUs than people without mental disorders

Higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection

Difficulty in following safety measures 

Particular circumstances that appeared due to the pandemic can have negative impacts on the symptoms of those who had previous mental health problems, such as increased symptoms, relapse, suicidal behavior, lack of access to medical care, and social isolation. Such circumstances include: 
- early discharge from psychiatric units, 
- disruption of face-to-face psychiatric care, 
- lockdown and quarantine, 
- disruption of daily routines,
- Physical distancing: Physical distancing, in particular, can reduce the availability of many families, social, and psychiatric supports. 

Increased symptoms, relapse, and poorer access to services and supports

- Depression
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- Hoarding Disorder
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
- Anxiety/ Panic Disorders
- Social Anxiety Disorder
- Body dysmorphic disorder
- Schizophrenia 
- Borderline Personality Disorder

Learn Before

Related