[Consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for people with schizophrenia, dementia and substance use disorders]. / Folgen der COVID-19-Pandemie für Menschen mit Schizophrenie, Demenz und Abhängigkeitserkrankungen.

ABSTRACT

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses unexpected challenges to social and healthcare systems worldwide. The direct and indirect medical consequences of infection with the novel coronavirus bring healthcare systems to their limits of their capabilities in many places. The neurotropic effects of COVID-19 can result not only in neurological but also in acute and long-term psychological sequelae. In the psychiatric context, the psychological and psychosocial consequences of contact restrictions and lockdowns as well as the effects of daily reports in the media on people with mental disorders must also be taken into consideration. In this article the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for people with mental illnesses, especially those with schizophrenia, dementia, and addictive diseases are discussed.