ABSTRACT
Introduction: COVID-19 had direct and indirect impacts on both mental health and healthcare systems. Evaluating urgent psychiatric consultations may be useful to determine the effects of COVID-19 pandemic since it reflects the condition of psychiatric patients and healthcare systems Objectives: This study aims to determine the quantitative or qualitative changes in emergency psychiatry consultations after COVID- 19 pandemic. Method(s): The socio-demographic characteristics and clinical features of two hundred thirty three patients were retrospectively collected and analyzed in order to compare the emergency psychiatry consultations before (between the dates 11th of March 2019- 10th of March 2020) and after (between 11th of March 2020-10th of March 2021) the COVID-19 pandemic. Result(s): The ratio of patients consulted to psychiatry to total emergency department increase after pandemic (%0.03 vs %0.07). Among these patients, the diagnosis of 'alcohol and substance use disorder' (%6.1 vs. %15.4) (p=0.03) increased while the diagnoses of 'obsessive compulsive disorder (5.3% vs. 0%)(p=0.01) and bipolar disorder (%21.1 vs. %20.5) (p=0.02) decreased. Hostility among patient during consultation increased (%19.1 vs. %30.8)(p=0.04). Suicidal thoughts decreased (%25.2 vs. %14.5) (p=0.04). Furthermore, voluntary inpatient treatment (%20.9-%34.2) (p =0.02) increased, transfer to another clinic (%25.2 vs. %12) (p=0.01) and outpatient treatment (%46.1 vs. %42.7) (p=0.01) decreased. An increase in oral treatments (%10.4 vs. %26.5) (p=0.02) and decrease in parenteral treatments (%71.3 vs. 54.7) ( p=0.01) were also reported. Conclusion(s): Our findings confirmed that after COVID-19 spread the clinical features diagnosis, and treatment modality have changed among urgent psychiatric consultations.