How Psychiatrists Can Help Patients During Coronavirus Outbreak

Fear, stigma, depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder followed major infectious disease outbreaks earlier in this century, and psychiatrists should be prepared for similar reactions as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak expands.“Physicians should check in with vulnerable populations, and that includes psychiatric patients, especially those with anxiety disorders or severe mental illness,” Judith Bass, Ph.D., an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, toldPsychiatric News.Infectious disease outbreaks can have short- and long-term psychological effects on patients, health care professionals, and surrounding communities where outbreaks are reported. Studies of survivors of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in Asia and Canada in 2003 indicated high rates of psychiatric disorders both during theacute phase of the pandemic andup to four years later.“It is essential to understand how any given patient will most effectively receive information and tailor communication and interventions using a patient-centered approach,” Joshua Morganstein, M.D., chair of APA’s Committee on the Psychiatric Dimensions of Disasters, said in an email. To prom ote the well-being of patients during the coronavirus outbreak, health care professionals should remind patients to obtain the latest information from reliable sources, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, and...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: anxiety APA CDC coronavirus COVID-19 depression Ebola virus Joshua Morganstein Judith Bass posttraumatic stress disorder SARS Saul Levin WHO Source Type: research