The effects of the first COVID-19 lockdown on psychiatric emergencies in childhood

Due to novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), on March 8, 2020, the first lockdown began in Italy. Two months of lockdown involved all country regions until 4 May 2020, when "phase 2" began. During this period, only urgent and emergency conditions could accede to hospital for inpatient treatments, also for developmental psychiatric conditions. Here we report the experience of UOSD od Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry od University Federico II of Naples, about hospitalizations carried out during the first lockdown due to Covid-19. The main situations that required urgent treatment, the main reasons that led caregivers to contact the hospital and issues concerning admission during the lockdown are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Italian) A causa della nuova malattia da coronavirus (COVID-19), l'8 marzo 2020 e iniziato in Italia il primo lockdown, che si e prolungato fino al 4 maggio 2020, quando e iniziata la "fase 2". Durante questo periodo, solo le condizioni urgenti e di emergenza hanno potuto accedere all'ospedale per i trattamenti sanitari, e questo anche per quanto riguarda le condizioni psichiatriche dell'eta evolutiva. Il lavoro riporta l'e- sperienza della UOSD Neuropsichiatria Infantile dell'Universita Federico II di Napoli sui ricoveri effettuati durante il primo lockdown dovuto a COVID-19. Vengono discusse le situazioni piu significative, ovvero quelle che hanno richiesto delle cure urgenti, i principali motivi che hanno portato i caregiver a contattare l'ospedale e le questioni relative al ricovero durante il lockdown. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Management of psychiatric conditions and delirium during the COVID-19 pandemic across continents: lessons learned and recommendations.

BACKGROUND: With the uncertainties of COVID-19, people infected with coronavirus present with diverse psychiatric presentations. Some institutions have had to manage their patients with existing protocols, others have had to create them. In this article we aimed to report the challenges and good practices in the management of psychiatric conditions and delirium coexisting with COVID-19 across continents. METHODS: Early Career Psychiatrists (ECPs) from across five continents were approached to share their experiences on the management of psychiatric conditions in patients with COVID-19 during the current pandemic. RESULTS: We collected information about the experiences from sixteen countries. Commonalities were similar psychiatric presentations and poor preparedness across countries. Differences were varying adjustments made in the management of psychiatric conditions coexisting with COVID-19 and different innovations. Good practices which can be adopted by other countries are novel approaches such as telepsychiatry, proactive consultation-liaison units and enhanced community services targeted at circumventing challenges faced when providing mental health services. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the need for global preparedness in the mental health sector during outbreaks of infectious diseases, and the need for concerted efforts targeted at global and locally sensitive adaptation of existing protocols and the development of new guidelines for the management of psychiatric conditions for the present pandemic and subsequent occurrences.