Background: Since the outbreak of COVID-19, there has been an apparent increase in the utilization of mental health services and psychiatric disorders among youth. However, there is little data on youth mental health prior to the pandemic. Some authors suggest that the increase in the use of psychiatric care started before. Are we facing a recent phenomenon initiated by the pandemic that will disappear with it, or did it highlight an older issue? Have the profiles of the young people and the care provided changed since the pandemic?
Subjects and methods: Retrospective study of the hospitalization records of patients aged 15 to 25. The inclusion period extends from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2022.
Results: There was an increase in the number of young people hospitalized from September 2020 to February 2021, suggesting a delayed effect of Covid's impact. 44% of young people were hospitalized through emergency services, number that has increased. There has been an increase in prior psychiatric care and hospitalizations among patients hospitalized since the beginning of the pandemic. 49% attribute their condition to family issues. Upon discharge, many patients were on medication, but there has been no significant change in prescriptions since the pandemic began. The majority of patients were referred to their primary care physician, psychologist, and psychiatrist, which has not changed since the pandemic began.
Conclusions: Apart from the increase in hospitalizations, the rest of the practices within the institution has remained unchanged, suggesting that there are few differences in issues brought by patients since the start of the pandemic. Difficulties related to the family environment remain the primary reason for hospitalization requests. We do not have clear evidence of a worsening situation, which tends to support the hypothesis that COVID-19 has been a catalyst for a pre-existing state.
Keywords: COVID – teenager - psychiatry.