The Acute Impact of the Early Stages of COVID-19 Pandemic in People with Pre-Existing Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review

Sandra Carvalho, Catarina G. Coelho, Bruno Kluwe-Schiavon, Juliana Magalhães and Jorge Leite
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Sandra Carvalho: Translational Neuropsychology Laboratory, William James Center for Research, Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Catarina G. Coelho: Psychological Neuroscience Laboratory, CIPsi, School of Psychology, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
Bruno Kluwe-Schiavon: Psychological Neuroscience Laboratory, CIPsi, School of Psychology, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
Juliana Magalhães: Psychological Neuroscience Laboratory, CIPsi, School of Psychology, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
Jorge Leite: Portucalense Institute for Human Development (INPP), Portucalense University, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 9, 1-36

Abstract: People with pre-pandemic health conditions are more vulnerable and more likely to suffer greater psychosocial impact due to the current COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown measures. Thus, the objective of this work was to systematically review the impact of the early stages COVID-19 pandemic on people with pre-existing psychiatric disorders. The search was performed between 23 January and 2 September 2021 in PubMed, PsycINFO, and EMBASE. A total of 4167 published results were identified; however, only 49 were included in this review. Results show that there was considerable heterogeneity among studies, which resulted in a low consensus. However, it seems that the impact of the first stage of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychiatric disorders was two-fold: (1) an overall effect, in which people suffering from psychiatric disorders in general experienced more psychological distress and anxiety when compared to people who had no psychiatric diagnosis, and (2) a condition-specific effect, namely in people suffering from eating disorders and obsessive compulsive disorders. Moreover, the current work highlights that there were also some external factors that were related to worsening symptoms. For instance, unemployment or experiencing work and financial difficulties can be a trigger for greater distress during the pandemic for people with mood disorders, and being alone and in social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic may actually increase substance use and relapse rates. Further studies are needed to prospectively investigate the long-term effects of the current COVID-19 pandemic on people with (pre)-existing psychiatric conditions and on the onset or deterioration of psychiatric-related symptoms in a larger number of participants, as well as exploring the long-term effects of the current pandemic on mental health.

Keywords: mental health; psychiatric disorders; COVID-19 pandemic; systematic review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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