Helpline provision during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: experiences of the Mokotow Mental Health Center

PURPOSE: The purpose of our study was to present the community helpline initiated by the Mokotow Mental Health Center (Mokotowskie Centrum Zdrowia Psychicznego – MCZP) during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and summarize its performance. METHODS: The Mokotow Helpline (Mokotowska Linia Wsparcia – MLW) operated from March to July 2020, providing ad hoc interventions and short-term regular help by psychologists and a social worker. RESULTS: 599 interventions were delivered to 262 people. Emergency support was given to 70.6% of callers and regular short-term support was provided to 29.4%. The highest number of people contacted the helpline in the first weeks of its operations, while from May 2020 onwards the frequency of calls systematically decreased. Women requested assistance twice as often as men. The most frequent reasons for contacting the line were the need for advice and support in connection with symptoms of mental illness occurring in a loved one (21.4%), request for medical services, e.g. appointment with a psychiatrist, prescription renewal or psychotherapy appointment (16.0%), anxiety (15.6%), reactive (adjustment) (13.0%) and depressive disorders (5.7%) and financial difficulties or loss of a job (5.7%). The most frequent interventions consisted of psychological support (73.8%), information or psychoeducation (16.9%), and also referring people to institutions that could provide the most appropriate form of help (8.1%). CONCLUSIONS: The helpline is an easily accessible and practical means of providing assistance to the population in critical situations such as the pandemic. The kind, duration and frequency of this form of help should be varied and adapted to the wide range of problems reported by callers.