[Mental health and mental healthcare as elements of pandemic and crisis preparedness].

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic was challenging in terms of the mental health of the population and the provision of mental health services.

Aims of the study: To gain insights from the pandemic for an improved pandemic and crisis preparedness for the future.

Material and methods: Recommendations are derived from the results of reviews on mental health and psychiatric psychotherapeutic care during the pandemic.

Results: Large sections of the population proved to be resilient in terms of mental health. Populations at risk showed increased stress, particularly children, adolescents, women, people with low socioeconomic status, people in nursing homes and healthcare workers. People with long/post-COVID were also particularly affected. At the same time there were significant restrictions on the provision of psychiatric psychotherapeutic care, particularly in the inpatient sector. Insufficient current data on the mental health of the population and a lack of surveillance of service utilization, despite an existing data basis, made it difficult for timely detection of stress and care restrictions and an adequate response for crisis management. The rigid sectorization of the mental healthcare system often prevented alternative outpatient care.

Discussion: The national mental health surveillance should be continued and further developed. Structures should be provided for the time-sensitive consolidation of data and the multiprofessional generation of recommendations in order to be able to detect and respond to challenges due to bottlenecks in the provision of care and stress in risk groups. Flexible, cross-sectoral mental healthcare should be made possible throughout Germany.