ABSTRACT
Community psychiatry is an effective and increasingly popular form of care for patients with mental disorders. Due to sanitary restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, psychiatric rehabilitation programs had to adapt to the highly specific requirements and modify the offer of therapeutic activities for patients. Above all the activities focused on, social interactions were limited. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of the modified rehabilitation program in light of the introduced sanitary restrictions due to COVID-19. This prospective observational single-centered study involved 41 patients diagnosed with organic mental disorders, psychotic disorders, affective disorders and anxiety disorders. The patients participated in a 6-week rehabilitation program which included varied forms of physical exercise, cognitive training, psychological training and Small Group Therapy. The quality-of-life assessment and the intensity of depression and anxiety symptoms were measured using standardized scales: Hospital Scale of Anxiety and Depression (HADS) and Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) at two time points before the initiation of the rehabilitation process and at the end of the program's participation period. Median HADS D before admission to the rehabilitation center was 9 (IQR 6-12), and 5 (IQR 3-9) after 6-week participation (p < 0.05). Median SF-36 at the beginning of rehabilitation was 93 (IQR 80-106) and 73 (IQR 53-95) at the end of the evaluation period (p < 0.05), Median HADS-A at the start of rehabilitation was 11 (IQR 9-14) and 9 (IQR 6-12) after final assessment (p > 0.05). The gender and age of the participants did not influence the results of the utilized standardized evaluation tools (p > 0.05 for both). We observed an improvement in the participants' subjective assessment of the intensity of the depression symptoms and the quality of life after partaking in the available activities. There was no clear benefit regarding the subjective assessment of the intensity of anxiety symptoms among the study participants resulting from the introduction to the program.
ABSTRACT
Community psychiatry is a modern and effective form of care for patients with mental disorders. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of a rehabilitation program at the Mental Health Support Centre in Tarnowskie Góry (Poland) on reducing severity of anxiety and depression symptoms, as well as improving overall quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involved 35 patients, examined with an authors' questionnaire on sociodemographic data, the Hospital Scale of Anxiety and Depression (HADS) and the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Data was obtained during the first national lockdown and compared to data gathered before the pandemic on the same study group. Imposed restrictions, negative emotional state during lockdown, subjectively assessed higher health risk and a low level of knowledge about the COVID-19 pandemic did not significantly correlate with a severity of depression and anxiety, as well as general quality of life. However, the comparison of the results obtained in HADS and SF-36 scales show a significant improvement in both categories. Rehabilitation activities, including physical training, cognitive exercise and social therapy, reduce the severity of the symptoms and have a positive effect on the overall quality of life in patients suffering from schizophrenia and affective disorders. Therefore, holistic mental health support services may positively affect building an individual resilience. The severity of anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic shows a negative correlation with the patient's age.