[Dynamic impacts on mental health of psychiatric patients during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in an emergency department].

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges to healthcare systems worldwide. Psychiatric patients appear to be particularly affected by the pandemic and the lockdown measures in Germany. There is limited knowledge about the impact on psychiatric emergencies in emergency departments (EDs) from the onset of the pandemic until the initial relaxations in 2022. This study investigates the impact on psychiatric emergencies in an interdisciplinary ED during the various phases of the pandemic.A retrospective analysis was conducted of all psychiatric emergency contacts in an interdisciplinary ED of a general hospital in a German metropolitan city. The study period covered from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2022. Significant changes in case numbers were observed depending on the different phases of the pandemic. Neurotic, stress-related, and somatoform disorders (ICD-10 F4) showed the most substantial and significant decrease in case numbers until 2021 among all primary diagnoses. The admission rate significantly increased in 2021 and declined the following year.The different phases of the pandemic had significant impacts on psychiatric emergency patients in an ED, particularly the altered diagnostic spectrum, leading to changed demands. The increased admission rate can be interpreted as an indicator of worsening psychopathological severity. The results of this study indicate that access to the healthcare system for psychiatric patients must be ensured and considered in health policy decisions, even during a pandemic.