Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health service use among psychiatric outpatients in a tertiary hospital

BACKGROUND: The aim was to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health service use according to mental disorder diagnosis among psychiatric outpatients. METHODS: Psychiatric outpatient visits and patient diagnostic information were extracted from the EHR(electronic health records) of a Korean tertiary hospital during 3 months of the COVID-19 pandemic and 3 months before the COVID-19 outbreak. Visit rates of psychiatric outpatients according to primary psychiatric diagnosis category before and after the COVID-19 pandemic were compared using an over-dispersed Poisson regression model. The temporal associations between the number of daily outpatient visits and the daily number of newly confirmed cases were examined by time-series analysis within each diagnosis category. RESULTS: Total daily outpatient visit rate was significantly reduced during the pandemic. Among the nine most prevalent diagnosis categories, the daily visit rates for anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders were significantly reduced by about 29.8%, 14.8%, and 13.3% respectively. Time-series analysis showed significant temporal correlations between the daily number of newly confirmed cases and the daily visit rates for anxiety disorders and depressive disorders, whereas patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders showed no significant temporal association. LIMITATIONS: Potential confounding factors unrelated to the pandemic might have influenced the results. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings suggest that patients with anxiety or depressive disorders may have concerns regarding the spread of COVID-19, and may be more reluctant to visit psychiatry outpatient clinics. Delivery strategies for mental healthcare services, such as telepsychiatry, would be helpful to enhance continuity of care during the pandemic.