Physical health profile and associated behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic in patients with bipolar disorder

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increased psychological strain on public mental health and may impact behavioural, mental, and physical health, presumably with effects on patients with severe mental disorders. Objective(s): This study examines pandemic-related physical and mental health and (compensatory) behavioural changes, in patients with BD as compared to healthy control individuals. Method(s): Physical and mental health and self-reported changes in daily structure and behaviour due to pandemic were assessed using a self-constructed questionnaire and the brief symptom inventory (BSI) from outpatient clinics in Germany, Austria, and Denmark in individuals with BD and a healthy control group. Result(s): The present study included 118 individuals with BD and 215 healthy controls. Individuals with BD reported statistically significant higher physical risk burden, increased weight gain, more physical comorbidities, and a decrease in physical activity and they further reported higher rate of COVID-19 testing, had more worries concerning health and experienced more anxiety but less social distancing. Conclusion(s): The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have a greater impact on physical health in individuals with BD than in healthy controls. Individuals with BD appear to be having more difficulties compensating their behaviour due to the pandemic which could amplify the effect of risk factors associated with poorer physical health. This highlights the necessity for optimising and targeting the overall treatment of both mental and physical health in patients with BD during periods with far-reaching changes such as COVID- 19 pandemic.

Covid-19 pandemic induces stress-induced somatization in wait list patients

Introduction: While COVID-19 pandemic associated with quarantine, social distancing and isolation influenced many aspects of people's lives including stress and mood regulation only little is known about the psychological impact on patients waiting for liver or kidney transplantation. Thus this study was designed to fill this scientific gap. Methods: Twenty-seven wait list patients and 43 healthy controls underwent the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-2), 12-item Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis Structure Questionnaire (OPD-SQS), Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI18), Pittsburgh Sleep Questionnaire (PSQI), Alcohol Use Identification Test (AUDIT), and a questionnaire to determine cognition, attitude and fear related to COVID-19. Results: Levels of the BSI subscale somatization were increased in wait list patients (F=4.41, p=0.04). There was no difference between patients and healthy controls in the depression scores (BDI) (BDI: F(1,66), p=0.998;3.33±3.92 vs. 3.6±3) and PSQI sleep components (F(7.54)=1.23, p=0.3, Eta=0.137);however, COVID-specific fears (F(3.65)=3.84, p=0.014, Eta=0.151) was different between groups indicating more fear of infecting others with the Coronavirus in controls (F=5.8, p=0.019, Eta=0.08;3.3±3.44 vs. 5.12±2.5). In addition, partial correlation analyses between the emotional distress due to social distancing and the symptom load scales indicated a relationship between somatization and anxiety (r=0.53, p<0.001) in wait list patients. Further depression correlated positively with the items loneliness, boredom, and frustration in patients. Conclusion: Results of our study clearly demonstrates that COVID-19 pandemic significantly increases somatization in wait list patients most likely due to stress while healthy controls experience more COVID-19 associated fears. Thus effective strategies for stress reduction, more information on their illness, medication, skills for emotional regulation and healthy lifestyle are needed.