ABSTRACT
This letter discusses the provision of mental health services at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games during the COVID-19 pandemic. The mental health service at the polyclinic in the Olympic village was open three times a week from 10 am to 7 pm. Five board-certified psychiatrists were assigned to work in rotation, and on-call telephone support was provided during the absence of a physician on duty. Eight patients visited the polyclinic for mental health services during the Olympics. Among them, three were athletes and five, members of the team staff. During the Paralympics, two patients, both of whom were members of the team staff, visited the polyclinic for mental health services. Thus, 11 people were examined at the polyclinic throughout the Olympic and Paralympic games. All patients, except for one, met the diagnostic criteria for Adjustment Disorder. During the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, those who tested positive for COVID-19 had to follow quarantine rules which possibly took a toll on their mental health. The organizing committee of the games announced that a total of 863 athletes and officials had tested positive, of which 41 were athletes. Those who tested positive for COVID-19 were promptly quarantined at a designated isolation facility. Although holding the Olympic and Paralympic games under pandemic conditions appears unprecedented, future games may need to be held in similar circumstances. Therefore, it is critical to summarize the issues ahead of the 2022 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. While it is uncertain whether the pandemic will be under control by then, we suggest that the psychological support system for athletes and officials should be further developed and expanded. The polyclinic at the 2020 Games consisted of only psychiatrists and lacked clinical psychologists. Therefore, the importance of deploying well-trained psychologists among the policlinic staff should be emphasized. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
This letter discusses the provision of mental health services at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games during the COVID-19 pandemic. The mental health service at the polyclinic in the Olympic village was open three times a week from 10 am to 7 pm. Five board-certified psychiatrists were assigned to work in rotation, and on-call telephone support was provided during the absence of a physician on duty. Eight patients visited the polyclinic for mental health services during the Olympics. Among them, three were athletes and five, members of the team staff. During the Paralympics, two patients, both of whom were members of the team staff, visited the polyclinic for mental health services. Thus, 11 people were examined at the polyclinic throughout the Olympic and Paralympic games. All patients, except for one, met the diagnostic criteria for Adjustment Disorder. During the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, those who tested positive for COVID-19 had to follow quarantine rules which possibly took a toll on their mental health. The organizing committee of the games announced that a total of 863 athletes and officials had tested positive, of which 41 were athletes. Those who tested positive for COVID-19 were promptly quarantined at a designated isolation facility. Although holding the Olympic and Paralympic games under pandemic conditions appears unprecedented, future games may need to be held in similar circumstances. Therefore, it is critical to summarize the issues ahead of the 2022 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. While it is uncertain whether the pandemic will be under control by then, we suggest that the psychological support system for athletes and officials should be further developed and expanded. The polyclinic at the 2020 Games consisted of only psychiatrists and lacked clinical psychologists. Therefore, the importance of deploying well-trained psychologists among the policlinic staff should be emphasized. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected all countries in the world. Hospital workers are at high risk of mental illness, such as anxiety and depression. Furthermore, they also face many social stresses, such as deterioration of human relations and income reduction. Apart from mental illness, these social stresses can reduce motivation and lead to voluntary absenteeism, which contribute to a collapse of medical systems. Thus, for maintaining medical systems, it is crucial to clarify risk factors for both mental illness and increased social stress among hospital workers. However, little attention has been paid to factors affecting social stress, and thus, we aimed to address this gap. METHODS: In this cross-sectional survey of 588 hospital workers, the levels of anxiety, depression, and social stress were assessed using the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and Tokyo Metropolitan Distress Scale for Pandemic (TMDP). Multiple regression analyses were conducted to identify the demographic variables affecting these problems. RESULTS: Older age and female sex were common risk factors for anxiety, depression, and social stress. Moreover, occupational exposure to COVID-19 and hospital staff other than doctors/fewer non-work days were risk factors for increased anxiety and depression, respectively. Furthermore, living with families/others was a risk factor for increased social stress during this pandemic. CONCLUSION: Our findings could be useful for developing policies and practices to minimize the risk of mental illness and increased social stress among hospital workers, highlighting that attention should be paid to social factors, such as an individual's household situation.