The impact of the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental-health services in Europe

Johannes Thome; Jocelyn Deloyer; Andrew N Coogan; Deborah Bailey-Rodriguez; Odete A B da Cruz E Silva; Frank Faltraco; Cathleen Grima; Snaebjorn Omar Gudjonsson; Cecile Hanon; Martin Hollý; Jo Joosten; Ingegerd Karlsson; Gabriela Kelemen; Maria Korman; Krzysztof Krysta; Boleslav Lichterman; Konstantin Loganovsky; Donatella Marazziti; Margarita Maraitou; Serge Mertens deWilmars; Merja Reunamen; Shyhrete Rexhaj; Muhammet Sancaktar; Javier Sempere; Isabelle Tournier; Emilie Weynant; Christiaan Vis; Marie-Clotilde Lebas; Laurence Fond-Harmant

doi:10.1080/15622975.2020.1844290

The impact of the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental-health services in Europe

World J Biol Psychiatry. 2021 Sep;22(7):516-525. doi: 10.1080/15622975.2020.1844290. Epub 2020 Dec 23.

Authors

Johannes Thome¹, Jocelyn Deloyer², Andrew N Coogan³, Deborah Bailey-Rodriguez⁴, Odete A B da Cruz E Silva⁵, Frank Faltraco¹, Cathleen Grima⁶, Snaebjorn Omar Gudjonsson⁷, Cecile Hanon⁸, Martin Hollý⁹, Jo Joosten¹⁰, Ingegerd Karlsson¹¹, Gabriela Kelemen¹², Maria Korman¹³, Krzysztof Krysta¹⁴, Boleslav Lichterman¹⁵, Konstantin Loganovsky¹⁶, Donatella Marazziti¹⁷, Margarita Maraitou¹⁸, Serge Mertens deWilmars², Merja Reunamen¹⁹, Shyhrete Rexhaj²⁰, Muhammet Sancaktar²¹, Javier Sempere²², Isabelle Tournier²³, Emilie Weynant², Christiaan Vis²⁴, Marie-Clotilde Lebas²⁵, Laurence Fond-Harmant²⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany.
² Centre Neuro Psychiatrique St. Martin, Dave Namur, Belgium.
³ Department of Psychology, Maynooth University, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Ireland.
⁴ Psychology Department, Middlesex University, London, UK.
⁵ Medical Sciences Department, iBiMED, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
⁶ Department of Occupational Therapy, Mental Health Services, Mount Carmel Hospital, Attard, Malta.
⁷ Department of Psychiatry, Akureyri Hospital, Akureyri, Iceland.
⁸ Centre Ressource Régional de Psychiatrie du Sujet Agé, Université de Paris, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France.
⁹ Psychiatric Hospital Bohnice, Prague, Czech Republic.
¹⁰ Private Psychiatric Practice, Brussels and Luxembourg, Brussels, Belgium.
¹¹ Södra Älvsborgs Sjukhus-Vuxenpsykiatrisk Klinik, Borås Växel, Sweden.
¹² Faculty of Educational Science, Psychology and Social Sciences, Aurel Vlaicu University, Arad, Romania.
¹³ Occupational Therapy Department, Ariel University and EJ Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
¹⁴ Department of Rehabilitation Psychiatry, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland.
¹⁵ Department of Humanities, The IM Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia.
¹⁶ Department of Radiation Psychoneurology, Institute for Clinical Radiology, State Institution "National Research Centre for Radiation Medicine of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine", Kyiv, Ukraine.
¹⁷ Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, Unicamillus University of Rome and Brain Research Foundation, Lucca, Italy.
¹⁸ Center for Social and Pedagogical Support, Kepsipi, Korydallos, Greece.
¹⁹ Seurakuntaopisto, Pieksämäki, Finland.
²⁰ La Source, School of Nursing Sciences, University of Sciences Western Switzerland, HES-SO, Lausanne, Switzerland.
²¹ Department of Psychiatry, Gaziantep University Şahinbey Research and Implementation Hospital, Gaziantep, Turkey.
²² Centre de Terapia Interfamiliar and Mental Health Association, Elx, Spain.
²³ Info-Zenter Demenz, Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
²⁴ Department of Clinical, Neuro- & Developmental Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Mental Health, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
²⁵ Département des Sciences de la Santé Publique et de la Motricité, Haute Ecole de la Province de Namur, Namur, Belgium.
²⁶ Agence de Coopération Scientifique Afrique-Luxembourg et Europe et LEPS, Laboratoire Education et Pratiques en Santé, Paris 13, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Paris, France.

PMID: 33143529
DOI: 10.1080/15622975.2020.1844290

Abstract

Purpose: The current COVID-19 pandemic confronts psychiatric patients and mental health services with unique and severe challenges.

Methods: In order to identify these trans-national challenges across Europe, an ad-hoc survey was conducted among 23 experts, each answering for one European or aligned country.

Results: A number of important themes and issues were raised for the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and mental health services, barriers to service provision and future consequences. A number of key issues were reported by colleagues across several jurisdictions, even though these were at different stages of their national epidemics.

Conclusions: Based on these findings, we articulate some important learnings from the early stages of the COVID-19 European pandemic, and highlight key considerations for all countries' mental health services as the current pandemic develops and for future pandemics.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; mental health; mental health services; psychiatry.

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Europe
Humans
Mental Health Services*
Pandemics
SARS-CoV-2