María Irigoyen-Otiñano , Ana González-Pinto , Vicent Llorca-Bofí , Marina Adrados-Pérez , Laura Arenas-Pijoan , Giovanni Torterolo , Marta Sánchez-Cazalilla , Esther Buil , Eugènia Nicolau-Subires , Carla Albert-Porcar , Lucía Ibarra-Pertusa , Margarita Puigdevall-Ruestes
{"title":"Increase in urgent care for patients with an eating disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic in a Spanish province","authors":"María Irigoyen-Otiñano , Ana González-Pinto , Vicent Llorca-Bofí , Marina Adrados-Pérez , Laura Arenas-Pijoan , Giovanni Torterolo , Marta Sánchez-Cazalilla , Esther Buil , Eugènia Nicolau-Subires , Carla Albert-Porcar , Lucía Ibarra-Pertusa , Margarita Puigdevall-Ruestes","doi":"10.1016/j.rpsm.2021.11.005","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><p>The COVID-19 pandemic has had a great impact on people's mental health. Patients with eating disorders (ED) are also highly sensitive to the pandemic situation due to their physical and mental health. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic may have had on the reasons for the urgent care of patients with an eating disorder, comparing the reasons for care with those from a previous period.</p></div><div><h3>Method</h3><p>We compared the visits to the emergency room and their characteristics before and after the pandemic of patients with an eating disorder in the province of Lleida. Information regarding sociodemographic status, reason for consultation, diagnosis, characteristics of suicidal behaviour, and other data were obtained from the electronic medical records.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Within the total emergency attendances, eating disorders increased from 1.7% in the pre-pandemic period to 3.1% during the pandemic (<em>p</em> <!-->=<!--> <!-->0.030). Regarding the reason for consultation, a change in the pattern is observed, decreasing consultations for anxious decompensation (<em>p</em> <!--><<!--> <!-->0.001) and increasing suicidal behaviour (<em>p</em> <!-->=<!--> <!-->0.016) and behavioural disorder (<em>p</em> <!-->=<!--> <!-->0.022).</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>In our study we ascertained an increase in urgent care given to patients with an eating disorder during the two states of alarm, while consultations for anxiety symptoms decreased notably. However, care for suicidal behaviour increased, especially in women with comorbidity of personality disorders and who were unemployed.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":21391,"journal":{"name":"Revista de psiquiatria y salud mental","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.2000,"publicationDate":"2022-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8628540/pdf/","citationCount":"7","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Revista de psiquiatria y salud mental","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1888989121001270","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PSYCHIATRY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 7
Abstract
Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a great impact on people's mental health. Patients with eating disorders (ED) are also highly sensitive to the pandemic situation due to their physical and mental health. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic may have had on the reasons for the urgent care of patients with an eating disorder, comparing the reasons for care with those from a previous period.
Method
We compared the visits to the emergency room and their characteristics before and after the pandemic of patients with an eating disorder in the province of Lleida. Information regarding sociodemographic status, reason for consultation, diagnosis, characteristics of suicidal behaviour, and other data were obtained from the electronic medical records.
Results
Within the total emergency attendances, eating disorders increased from 1.7% in the pre-pandemic period to 3.1% during the pandemic (p = 0.030). Regarding the reason for consultation, a change in the pattern is observed, decreasing consultations for anxious decompensation (p < 0.001) and increasing suicidal behaviour (p = 0.016) and behavioural disorder (p = 0.022).
Conclusions
In our study we ascertained an increase in urgent care given to patients with an eating disorder during the two states of alarm, while consultations for anxiety symptoms decreased notably. However, care for suicidal behaviour increased, especially in women with comorbidity of personality disorders and who were unemployed.
期刊介绍:
The Spanish Journal of Psychiatry and Mental Health (SJPMH), incorporated into ISSN 1888-9891, is the official scientific publication of the Spanish Society of Psychiatry and Mental Health. The journal focuses on studying mental illnesses, their pathological processes, and their psychosocial consequences, and aims to disseminate scientific advances in all areas related to mental health and illness. SJPMH accepts unpublished works on psychiatry and mental health, including their medical and social implications. The journal provides space for research in the biological, clinical, and psychosocial fields. Manuscripts undergo peer-review by external reviewers before being accepted for publication. SJPMH is indexed in Index Medicus/Medline, IBECS, Social Sciences Citation Index Journal Citation Reports/Social Sciences Edition, and Current Contents/Social and Behavioral Sciences.