Covid update in psychiatry

Question 1

Neuropsychiatric effects of COVID

Answer 1

• Delirium
  
  • Most common presenting feature
  • Associated with poorer outcomes
• Fatigue
• Psychosis, mood disorder, catatonia, encephalitis, encephalopathy, other neurological problems
• Higher rates of anxiety, depression and PTSD
• Long covid

Question 2

Risk of covid in those with ‘mental disorders’

Answer 2

• No difference in getting infection for those with diagnosed mental health disorder
• Only higher risk schizophrenia-associated disorders
• Poorer outcomes for those with pre-existing mental health disorders

Question 3

Change in psychiatric services

Answer 3

• Changes from face to face to remote consultation
  
  • More access to challenging population
  • Not easy to reach
  • Privacy and governance issues
  • Changes to Mental Health Legislation

Question 4

Effect of COVID-19 on suicide

Answer 4

• Difficulty collecting data
• Increase in suicide rates in SARS pandemic
• Studies show no significant changes between pre- and post- lockdown periods

Question 5

Effect of COVID-19 on self-harm

Answer 5

• Lower recorded rates of self-harm in April 2020 compared to April of the previous year
• More marked in women, those in deprivation and people younger than 45 years