Emergency Psychiatric Consultations During and after the COVID-19 Lockdown in Italy. A Multicentre Study

Aims: The aim of this study was to analyse the trend and characteristics of psychiatric consultations in 9 Italian hospital emergency departments (HEDs) during the lockdown and post-lockdown periods of 2020, compared with the equivalent periods in 2019. Methods: Information on HEDs psychiatric consultations of patients was collected between March 9, 2020 and June 30, 2020 and during the same period of the previous year. We investigated changes between the two years in the number of consultations, in the characteristics of patients accessing HEDs and in the drug prescriptions dispensed. Joinpoint models were used to identify changes in the weekly trend of HED psychiatric consultations over the same year and between years. Results: As compared with 2019, a 37.5% decrease number of psychiatric consultations was found in the lockdown period and 17.9% decrease after the lockdown. The number of individual patients seen in HEDs for psychiatric consultations decreased by 34.9% during the lockdown and 11.2% after the lockdown. Such decreases occurred in all but one centre. The analysis of the weekly trend of consultations in 2020 revealed a significant percentage change in the number of consultations occurring from March 11, 2020 (week 11) to May 5, 2020 (week 18), followed by a more gradual, non-significant increase. The demographic characteristics and the clinical history of patients were similar in the years 2020 and 2019, except for a higher percentage of patients with previous admissions to acute psychiatric wards (GPHUs) during the lockdown period (61.1% vs 56.3%; p=0.019) and a lower percentage after the lockdown (59.7% vs 64.7%; p =0.034). As to psychiatrist report after the consultation, during the lockdown there was a sharp increase in the diagnosis of substance use disorders, while after the lockdown a higher manic episodes and suicidal ideation or attempts was found. In particular, a 3.4% decline was observed in suicidal ideation and planning during the lockdown, followed by an upward rebound of the same after the lockdown (+3.4%), accompanied by an increase in suicide attempts (+2.3%). Lastly, during the lockdown the prescriptions of antipsychotics increased by 5.2% and that of benzodiazepines by 4.1%, with a similar trend after the lockdown. Notably, after the lockdown, the number of compulsory admissions were substantially higher than the equivalent period in 2019. Conclusions: Our results show a relevant decline in the number of psychiatric consultations during and after the lockdown, compared with the corresponding periods of 2019. An increase in consultations for mania and suicidality problems occurred at the end of the restriction period, suggesting that the attention of mental health services should remain high.