RESUMO
Objective: Immediate effects of coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak on psychiatric patients are unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak and public health measures on the psychological well-being of patients with psychiatric disorders. Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed 436 outpatients recruited from a tertiary psychiatry clinic in Istanbul, Turkey, nearly 1 month after the government introduced strict measures of lockdown against the ongoing outbreak. Respondents completed a web-based survey on sociodemographic data, subjective sleep quality, and a range of psychiatric symptoms using the Impact of Events Scale-Revised and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Results: Respondents reported high frequencies of clinically significant post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms (32.6%, Impact of Events Scale-Revised score ≥ 33), anxiety (36.4%, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale anxiety score > 10), and depression symptoms (51%, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score > 10). In total, 20.5% of respondents described that their psychological status worsened during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak, and 12.1% of respondents described poor or very poor sleep in the prior month. Positive predictors of increased post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms included chronic medical diseases, knowing someone in the social vicinity diagnosed with the coronavirus disease 2019 infection, job loss or being on temporary leave after the outbreak, and increased exposure time to television or social media. In contrast, male gender, older age, higher educational attainment, and psychiatric diagnoses of schizophrenia, and (to a lesser degree) bipolar disorder were the negative predictors. Conclusion: Our results suggest that patients with psychiatric disorders are prone to substantial psychological distress during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak, and various individual, behavioral, and social factors mediate this effect.