What was the impact of a global pandemic (COVID-19) lockdown period on experiences within an eating disorder service? A service evaluation of the views of patients, parents/carers and staff

Abstract Background The World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19 as a global pandemic on the 11th March 2020. As a result, the UK Government imposed severe restrictions on working and social contact as part of “lockdown.” Whilst the full extent of the pandemic’s impact on eating disorder patients is unknown, the literature suggests that patients with pre-existing mental illness may be more vulnerable to the mental health impacts. In addition, the restrictions greatly reduced the access to mental health services and presented new challenges to service delivery. A service evaluation was carried out to explore how the COVID-19 global pandemic changed service provision in a young person’s eating disorder service and how this affected patient, family and staff experiences. Methods An audit was carried out to explore how the lockdown period had impacted referrals and service delivery. Quantitative data was collected in an online survey and qualitative data was collected in two formats: open ended answers as part of the online survey and open-ended focus groups, structured using narrative enquiry. The 43 participants consisted of 12 patients, 19 parents/carers, and 12 staff members. Patients were under the age of 18 and had a diagnosis of an eating disorder. Results COVID-19 and lockdown increased the pressure on the service and changed service provision significantly. This has impacted the relational experiences for patients and their carers and staff have been faced with new challenges. Patients, parents/carers and staff all preferred face-to-face appointments over virtual options. There was no difference in service satisfaction before and during COVID-19. Conclusions It is possible to provide an eating disorder service in lockdown restrictions that patients and parents report high satisfaction with. Providing face-to-face appointments at the beginning of treatment and including families in the planning should be prioritised. Staff support is crucial to be able to continue delivering high quality services. The key themes are identified, and clinical recommendations are made to guide service delivery.

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What was the Impact of a Global Pandemic (COVID-19) Lockdown Period on Experiences within an Eating Disorder Service? A Service Evaluation of the Views of Patients, Parents/Carers and Staff.

10.21203/rs.3.rs-97813/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hannah Shaw ◽

Sarah Robertson ◽

Nadia Ranceva

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Eating Disorder ◽

Service Delivery ◽

Service Provision ◽

Online Survey ◽

Service Evaluation ◽

High Quality ◽

Face To Face ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

New Challenges

Abstract Background: The World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19 as a global pandemic on the 11th March 2020. As a result, the UK Government imposed severe restrictions on working and social contact as part of “lockdown.” Whilst the full extent of the pandemic’s impact on eating disorder patients is unknown, the literature suggests that patients with pre-existing mental illness may be more vulnerable to the mental health impacts. In addition, the restrictions greatly reduced the access to mental health services and presented new challenges to service delivery. A service evaluation was carried out to explore how the COVID-19 global pandemic changed service provision in a young person’s eating disorder service and how this affected patients, family and staff experiences. Methods: Quantitative data was collected in an online survey and qualitative data was collected in two formats: open ended answers as part of the online survey and open-ended focus groups, structured using narrative enquiry. The 43 participants consisted of 12 patients, 19 parents/carers, and 12 staff members. Patients were under the age of 18 and had a diagnosis of an eating disorder. Results: COVID-19 and lockdown increased the pressure on the service and changed service provision significantly. This has impacted the relational experiences for patients and their carers and staff have been faced with new challenges. Patients, parents/carers and staff all preferred face-to-face appointments over virtual options. There was no difference in service satisfaction before and during COVID-19. Conclusions: It is possible to provide a high-quality eating disorder service in lockdown restrictions. Providing face-to-face appointments at the beginning of treatment and including families in the planning should be prioritised. Staff support is crucial to be able to continue delivering high quality services. The key themes are identified, and clinical recommendations are made to guide service delivery.

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The Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic in Taiwan: An Facebook Online study on Concern/Fear Regarding the Disease and General Anxiety and Relevant Factors (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.21165 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Peng-Wei Wang ◽

Wei-Hsin Lu ◽

Yi-Lung Chen ◽

Dian-Jeng Li ◽

Yu-Ping Chang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Online Survey ◽

Psychological Impact ◽

Health Resources ◽

World Health ◽

Regional Government ◽

General Anxiety ◽

Self Confidence ◽

Health Organization

BACKGROUND The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a ‘public health emergency of international concern. Both worry and anxiety are the common psychological impact during the pandemic. The level of and determinants for worry and anxiety during COVID-19 are not well explored. OBJECTIVE The present study aimed to explore the associations of demographic and environmental factors with worry toward COVID-19 and general anxiety among people in Taiwan. METHODS In total, 1970 respondents were recruited through a Facebook advertisement and completed an online survey on worry toward COVID-19, general anxiety during the pandemic, and individual and environmental factors. RESULTS In total, 51.7% and 43.4% of respondents reported high levels of worry toward COVID-19 and general anxiety, respectively. Worse self-rated mental health, lower self-confidence in COVID-19 management, and insufficient mental health resources were significantly associated with high levels of both worry toward COVID-19 and general anxiety. Lower perceived confidence in COVID-19 management by the regional government was significantly associated with a higher level of worry toward COVID-19. Lower perceived social support was significantly associated with a higher level of general anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS The results showed that high levels of worry toward COVID-19 and general anxiety were prevalent during the disease outbreak. Multiple individual and environmental factors related to worry toward COVID-19 and general anxiety were identified. CLINICALTRIAL

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COVID-19 pandemic: A review of the global lockdown and its far-reaching effects

Science Progress ◽

10.1177/00368504211019854 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 104 (2) ◽

pp. 003685042110198

Author(s):

Helen Onyeaka ◽

Christian K Anumudu ◽

Zainab T Al-Sharify ◽

Esther Egele-Godswill ◽

Paul Mbaegbu

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Global Economy ◽

World Health ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

The World ◽

Education Delivery ◽

Environmental Air ◽

Health Organization ◽

Almost All ◽

The Impact

COVID-19, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the 11th of March 2020, leading to some form of lockdown across almost all countries of the world. The extent of the global pandemic due to COVID-19 has a significant impact on our lives that must be studied carefully to combat it. This study highlights the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on crucial aspects of daily life globally, including; Food security, Global economy, Education, Tourism, hospitality, sports and leisure, Gender Relation, Domestic Violence/Abuse, Mental Health and Environmental air pollution through a systematic search of the literature. The COVID-19 global lockdown was initiated to stem the spread of the virus and ‘flatten the curve’ of the pandemic. However, the impact of the lockdown has had far-reaching effects in different strata of life, including; changes in the accessibility and structure of education delivery to students, food insecurity as a result of unavailability and fluctuation in prices, the depression of the global economy, increase in mental health challenges, wellbeing and quality of life amongst others. This review article highlights the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown across the globe. As the global lockdown is being lifted in a phased manner in various countries of the world, it is necessary to explore its impacts to understand its consequences comprehensively. This will guide future decisions that will be made in a possible future wave of the COVID-19 pandemic or other global disease outbreak.

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Sexual life during COVID-19

International Journal of Advanced Studies in Sexology - July - December 2020 ◽

10.46388/ijass.2020.13.34 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Cristian Delcea

Keyword(s):

Sexual Behaviors ◽

Online Survey ◽

Virus Transmission ◽

World Health ◽

Sexual Life ◽

Good Relationship ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

Strongly Connected ◽

Health Organization

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has spread rapidly around the world leading to massive changes in various areas. World Health Organization (WHO) has declared this disease a global pandemic in March 2020 causing a range of restrictions and global lockdown. Sexual behaviors have suffered change because of the virus transmission and governmental regulations for people to stay inside their homes. This paper addresses the quality of sexual life during lockdown in Romanian population. We discuss results from an online survey of 395 adults who were asked about their intimate lives, in terms of pornography consumption, solo masturbation and sexual intercourse. We also collected data regarding variables of a good relationship in order to see wether they have an influence over sexual life. We found that a good relationship is strongly connected to quality of sexual life. Our results also show that many people have solo masturbated (72,2%) and have consumed pornography materials (56,5%). Key words: sexual life, COVID-19, sexual behavior.

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COVID-19 pandemic- knowledge, perception, anxiety and depression among frontline doctors of Pakistan

BMC Psychiatry ◽

10.1186/s12888-020-02864-x ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Faridah Amin ◽

Salman Sharif ◽

Rabeeya Saeed ◽

Noureen Durrani ◽

Daniyal Jilani

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Online Survey ◽

Well Being ◽

World Health ◽

Public Health Burden ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Modifiable Factors ◽

Anxiety Depression ◽

Self Reporting Questionnaire

Abstract Background COVID-19 is a global pandemic and has become a major public health burden worldwide. With already fragile healthcare systems it can have long lasting effects in developing countries. Outbreaks especially a pandemic situation evokes fear related behaviors among healthcare professionals and there is always an increased risk of mental health disorders. Therefore, this study aims to determine knowledge and perception about this pandemic, prevalence and factors associated with anxiety/depression among frontline physicians of Pakistan. Methods Data were collected through an online survey released in the last week of March-2020. 389 frontline physicians from all four provinces and 65 cities of Pakistan participated. Survey questionnaire consisted of 4 parts including informed consent section, demographic section, knowledge and perception about COVID-19 pandemic and assessment of depression through World Health Organization Self-reporting questionnaire (SRQ-20). A score of 8 or above on SRQ-20 was used as cut-off to label the participant as depressed. Data was analyzed using SPSS version22. Results A 43% prevalence of anxiety/depression among frontline physicians of Pakistan was reported. Almost all the doctors had moderate to high knowledge score. Majority of participants marked N-95 mask as “essential” during aerosol generating procedures, assessing patients with respiratory symptoms, in COVID patient-care area, ER triage and direct care of COVID-19 patient. Only 12% of the doctors were fully satisfied with the provision of PPEs and almost 94% felt unprotected. In multivariable model, assessing more than five COVID suspects/day (aOR = 2.73, 95% CI: 1.65–4.52), working 20 h/week or less (aOR = 2.11, 1.27–3.49), having children among household members (aOR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.00–2.50) and moderate to low knowledge of the infection (aOR = 2.69, 95% CI: 1.68–4.31) were found to be independent predictors of anxiety/depression among physicians. Conclusion Anxiety/depression among more than a third of frontline doctors of Pakistan warrants the need to address mental health of doctors caring for patients during this pandemic; control modifiable factors associated with it and explore the effectiveness of interventions to promote psychological well-being of physicians.

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Using simulation to educate police about mental illness: A collaborative initiative

Gateways International Journal of Community Research and Engagement ◽

10.5130/ijcre.v7i1.3394 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Wendy Stanyon ◽

Bill Goodman ◽

Marjory Whitehouse

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Police Officers ◽

Real Life ◽

Ease Of Use ◽

World Health ◽

Health Concern ◽

Face To Face ◽

People With Mental Illness ◽

The Impact

Mental illness is a major public health concern in Canada and also globally. According to the World Health Organization, five of the top ten disabilities worldwide are mental health disorders. Within Canada, one in five individuals is living with mental illness each year. Currently, there are 6.7 million Canadians living with mental illness and over 1 million Canadian youth living with mental illness. Police are frequently the first responders to situations in the community involving people with mental illness, and police services are increasingly aware of the need to provide officers with additional training and strategies for effectively interacting with these citizens.This study examined the effectiveness of four online, interactive video-based simulations designed to educate police officers about mental illness and strategies for interacting with people with mental illness. The simulations were created through the efforts of a unique partnership involving a police service, a mental health facility and two postsecondary institutions. Frontline police officers from Ontario were divided into one of three groups (simulation, face to face, control). Using a pre- and post-test questionnaire, the groups were compared on their level of knowledge and understanding of mental illness. In addition, focus groups explored the impact of the simulations on officers’ level of confidence in engaging with individuals with mental illness and officers’ perceptions of the simulations’ ease of use and level of realism. The study’s findings determined that the simulations were just as effective as face-to-face learning, and the officers reported the simulations were easy to use and reflected real-life scenarios they had encountered on the job. As mental health continues to be a major public concern, not only in Canada but also globally, interactive simulations may provide an effective and affordable education resource not only for police officers but for other professionals seeking increased knowledge and skills in interacting with citizens with mental illness.Keywords: policing, mental illness, education, computer-based simulation

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Pathways to psychiatric care in Ethiopia

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291708003929 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 475-483 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

Y. Y. Bekele ◽

A. J. Flisher ◽

A. Alem ◽

Y. Baheretebeb

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Service Delivery ◽

Psychiatric Hospital ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Mental Hospital ◽

Psychiatric Care ◽

Addis Ababa ◽

World Health ◽

Care Providers

BackgroundUnderstanding the pathways to psychiatric care and recognition of delay points are crucial for the development of interventions that aim to improve access to mental health-care services.MethodOver a 2-month period in 2003, a total of 1044 patients at the commencement of new episodes of care at Amanuel Specialized Mental Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia were interviewed using the encounter form that was developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the study of pathways to psychiatric care.ResultsThe mental hospital was contacted directly by 41% of patients. The remaining patients sought care from up to four different caregivers before arriving at the psychiatric hospital. Where the initial service was not received at the psychiatric hospital, 30.9% of patients sought care from priests/holy water/church. The median delay between onset of illness and arrival at the psychiatric hospital was 38 weeks. The longest delays before arriving at the mental hospital were associated with having no formal education, joblessness, and diagnoses of epilepsy and physical conditions.ConclusionsImplementing a robust referral system and establishing a strong working relationship with both traditional and modern health-care providers, as well as designing a service delivery model that targets particular segments of the population, such as those who are uneducated, jobless and/or suffer from epilepsy and somatic conditions, should be the most important strategies towards improving mental health service delivery and shortening of undue delay for patients receiving psychiatric care in Ethiopia.

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Barriers to comorbidity service delivery: the complexities of dual diagnosis and the need to agree on terminology and conceptual frameworks

Australian Health Review ◽

10.1071/ah08723 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 34 (3) ◽

pp. 262 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Rachel Canaway ◽

Monika Merkes

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Substance Use ◽

Service Delivery ◽

Substance Use Disorders ◽

Service Provision ◽

Service Providers ◽

Complex Problem ◽

Conceptual Frameworks ◽

Treatment Service ◽

Variable Nature

This paper draws from a literature review commissioned as part of a larger project evaluating comorbidity treatment service models, which was funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing as part of the National Comorbidity Initiative. The co-occurrence of mental health and substance use disorders (comorbidity) is a common and complex problem. This paper outlines conceptual and practical complexities and barriers associated with comorbidity treatment service delivery, particularly around the variable nature of comorbidity, and the impacts of the separation of the mental health (MH) and alcohol and other drug (AOD) sectors with their differing institutional cultures, aetiological concepts, philosophical underpinnings, educational requirements, administrative arrangements, and screening and treatment approaches. Issues pertaining to the lack of consistent definitions and conceptual frameworks for comorbidity are discussed, particularly in relation to the reported lack of communication, collaboration, and linkages between the sectors. It is suggested that the adoption of consistent terminology and conceptual frameworks may provide a valuable step towards consistency in service provision and research and could lead to improved capacity to address the many issues relating to comorbidity service provision and treatment efficacy. What is known about the topic?The co-occurrence of mental health and substance use disorders (comorbidity) is a common and complex problem. However, the service system is not sufficiently developed and coordinated to serve clients with comorbid problems well. What does this paper add?This paper summarises the issues pertaining to conceptual and practical complexities and barriers associated with comorbidity treatment service delivery, including the different aetiologies of comorbidity and types and settings of service providers. What are the implications for practitioners?There is a need for practitioners and other stakeholders to agree on consistent terminology and framework(s) relevant to comorbidity to overcome the barriers and complexities that currently limit service delivery and access to treatment.

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Service provision for depressed children and youth: a survey of program managers in Ontario

10.21203/rs.2.13087/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Priya Watson ◽

Kamna Mehra ◽

Lisa D Hawke ◽

Joanna Henderson

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Service Provision ◽

Online Survey ◽

Service Use ◽

Research Priorities ◽

Skills Training ◽

Children And Youth ◽

Future Research ◽

Program Managers ◽

Depressed Children

Abstract Background The worldwide prevalence of depressive disorders among children and youth has been reported in ranges from just under 3% to over 10%. In Canada, 7% of youth report past year depression, which is higher than any other age demographic. Yet, many of these youth do not receive evidence based interventions, increasing their risk for serious lifetime consequences. To better understand low service use, it is crucial to map and evaluate current services. This study aimed to determine the scope and nature of services available to depressed children and youth, and compare services to best evidence treatment guidelines. Methods Several government and non-government resources were utilized to develop a new multi-sectoral database of depression services for children and youth across Ontario. An online survey was sent to program managers serving children/youth with depression, examining agency characteristics, populations served, services provided, patterns of service use, evaluation activities, and research priorities. Results 413 agencies with 869 program managers participated, representing mental health, addictions and other sectors. Age groups served included children up to 12 years of age (31%), adolescents aged 13-17 (70%) and transition aged youth (18-25 years) (81%). Over half of respondents worked in the mental health (43.4%) or mental health and addiction (24.4%) sectors. The most frequently provided services were assessment, psychotherapy, case management, and psychoeducation; the most common types of psychotherapy provided included cognitive behavioral therapy, social skills training, and solution-focused therapy. Psychotherapies are offered in widely varying formats, frequencies and durations. Discontinuation rates varied, with higher discontinuation among transition aged youth as compared to children. Respondents identified effective treatment, improving access, and reducing service gaps as top future research priorities. Conclusions This study provides important new data on service provision and uptake for depressed children and youth. Comparing these results with best-evidence practice guidelines raises significant concerns about the services most commonly offered and their delivery formats. In addition, high early discontinuation rates raise questions about the service experiences of children, youth and their families. Other factors which may contribute to ongoing treatment engagement challenges include access barriers, service or client characteristics, and unintentional treatment impacts.

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