Effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Mental Health Self-help Group Members: Call for Targeted Patient-centered Interventions

ABSTRACT

Background: A large number of research publications are related to the bidirectional effects of the COVID pandemic on people living with mental disorders, but only few of them report directly the opinions and experience of users of psychiatric services. Devora Kestel, Director, Mental Health and Substance Use, WHO, at the recent WPA 21th World Congress emphasized the following consequences of the Pandemic on people living with mental problems (i) isolation, (ii) difficult grieving process when losing a close relative, (iii) less access to social support systems, (iv) stigma, (v) pre-existing mental disorders' exacerbation by COVID-19. Aim: To understand the main fields of distress and of resilience of patients to target interventions as part of our state-of-the-art community psychiatry service treating more than 500 patients with major mental disorders. Methods: We passed an online questionnaire to members of online self-help groups in July, 2021, to describe the effects of the Pandemic on their lives by three labels, following the qualitative research method of Rose et al. We created groups from the similar answers. Results: 78 people gave 223 labels. The most frequent negative labels were isolation (51 labels), fear (31 labels), mental symptoms (22 labels), feeling of insecurity (15 labels), frustration/anger (11 labels), paranoid ideas (10 labels) and economic burden (5 labels). The most frequent positive labels were related to resilience (35 labels), a silent period of life (11 labels), good health (6 labels) and getting closer to family (3 labels). Discussion: Results facilitate discussions to find and reinforce new ways of resilience of patients and families and to target their personal 'COVID-related' impairment by evidence-based interventions to prepare for the 4th wave of the Pandemic. Mental health problems are in close connection with distress, while learning from the crisis is an important factor of personal development and recovery. Limitations: We were not able to reach those patients who are lacking or refuse online communication during the Pandemic. Implications for Health Care Provision and Use Providers should evaluate the personal situation and reactions of patients and families and target their individual needs by evidence-based intervention. The development of resilience in crisis is a step towards recovery. Implications for Health Policies Supporting online facilities and regular evaluation-based targeted community psychiatric intervention is needed. Disabled people also have various resources related to their development of resilience in crisis. They should be involved in policy making.