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109"title","abstract","authors","link","date","subject","source","initial_decision","q0","q1","q2","q3","q4","q5","q6","q7","q8","q9","q10","q11","q12","q13","q14","q15","q16","q17","q18","q19","q20","exclusion_reason","extraction_date","expert_decision","ID","o1"
"A Prospective Study of Long-Term Outcomes Among Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients with and without Neurological Complications","Background: Little is known regarding long-term outcomes of patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Methods: We conducted a prospective study of 6-month outcomes of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Patients with new neurological complications during hospitalization who survived were propensity score-matched to COVID-19 survivors without neurological complications hospitalized during the same period. The primary 6-month outcome was multivariable ordinal analysis of the modified Rankin Scale(mRS) comparing patients with or without neurological complications. Secondary outcomes included: activities of daily living (ADLs;Barthel Index), telephone Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Neuro-QoL batteries for anxiety, depression, fatigue and sleep. Results: Of 606 COVID-19 patients with neurological complications, 395 survived hospitalization and were matched to 395 controls; N=196 neurological patients and N=186 controls completed follow-up. Overall, 346/382 (91%) patients had at least one abnormal outcome: 56% had limited ADLs, 50% impaired cognition, 47% could not return to work and 62% scored worse than average on [≥]1 Neuro-QoL scale (worse anxiety 46%, sleep 38%, fatigue 36%, and depression 25%). In multivariable analysis, patients with neurological complications had worse 6-month mRS (median 4 vs. 3 among controls, adjusted OR 2.03, 95%CI 1.22-3.40, P=0.01), worse ADLs (aOR 0.38, 95%CI 0.29-0.74, P=0.01) and were less likely to return to work than controls (41% versus 64%, P=0.04). Cognitive and Neuro-QOL metrics were similar between groups. Conclusions: Abnormalities in functional outcomes, ADLs, anxiety, depression and sleep occurred in over 90% of patients 6-months after hospitalization for COVID-19. In multivariable analysis, patients with neurological complications during index hospitalization had significantly worse 6-month functional outcomes than those without.","Jennifer A. Frontera; Dixon Yang; Ariane Lewis; Palak Patel; Chaitanya Medicherla; Vito Arena; Taolin Fang; Andres Andino; Thomas Snyder; Maya Madhavan; Daniel Gratch; Benjamin Fuchs; Alexa Dessy; Melanie Canizares; Ruben Jauregui; Betsy Thomas; Kristie Bauman; Anlys Olivera; Dhristie Bhagat; Michael Sonson; George Park; Rebecca Stainman; Brian Sunwoo; Daniel Talmasov; Michael Tamimi; Yingrong Zhu; Jonathan Rosenthal; Levi Dygert; Milan Rustic; Haruki Ishii; Eduard Valdes; Mirza Omari; Lindsey Gurin; Joshua Huang; Barry M Czseiler; D. Ethan Kahn; Ting Zhou; Jessica Lin; Aaron Lord; Kara Melmed; Sharon Meropol; Andrea Troxel; Eva Petkova; Thomas Wisniewski; Laura Balcer; Chris Morrison; Shadi Yaghi; Steven Galetta","https://medrxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2021.03.18.21253881","20210320","","medRxiv","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12136,""
"The effect of Covid-19 isolation measures on the cognition and mental health of people living with dementia: a rapid systematic review of one year of evidence","Background: Covid-19 control policies have entailed lockdowns and confinement. Although these isolation measures are thought to be particularly hard and possibly harmful to people with dementia, their specific impact during the pandemic has not yet been synthesised. We aimed to examine and summarise the global research evidence describing the effect of Covid-19 isolation measures on the health of people living with dementia. Method: We searched Pubmed, PsycINFO and CINAHL up to February 2021 for peer-reviewed quantitative studies of the effects of isolation measures during Covid-19 on cognitive, psychological and functional symptoms of people with any kind of dementia or mild cognitive impairment. We summarised the findings of included papers following current guidelines for rapid reviews. Results: We identified 15 eligible papers, examining a total of 6,442 people with dementia. 13/15 were conducted in people living in the community and 2 in care homes. 60% (9/15) studies reported changes in cognition with 77% (7/9) of them describing declined cognition by >50% of respondents. 93% (14/15) of studies reported worsening or new onset of behavioural and psychological symptoms. 46% (7/15) studies reported changes in daily function, 6 of them reporting a functional decline in a variable proportion of the population studied. Conclusion: Lockdowns and confinement measures brought about by the pandemic have damaged the cognitive and psychological health and functional abilities of people with dementia across the world. It is urgent that infection control measures applied to people with dementia are balanced against the principles of non-maleficence. This systematic review makes 4 specific calls for action.","Aida Suarez-Gonzalez; Jayeeta Rajagopalan; Gill Livingston; Suvarna Alladi","https://medrxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2021.03.17.21253805","20210320","","medRxiv","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12137,""
"A randomized trial in the investigation of anxiety and depression in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)","BACKGROUND: In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern. A small proportion of patients infected with COVID-19 go on to develop pneumonia. We speculated that COVID-19 may be likely to result in psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression. In this study, we conducted an investigation of anxiety and depression in patients with COVID-19. METHODS: Sixty-five COVID-19 patients were randomly enrolled into this study. Anxiety and depression among participants were measured through the completion of anonymous Chinese-language Zung self-rating anxiety scale and self-rating depression scale questionnaires. Data were analyzed using independent samples t-tests, Mann-Whitney U-tests, and χ2 tests. RESULTS: The questionnaire results showed that 26.15% and 41.54% of participants suffered from anxiety and depression, respectively, although there was no significantly statistical difference between the proportions of COVID-19 patients with anxiety and depression. Statistically significant differences in employment status, partial pressure of oxygen, and corticosteroid application existed between moderate- and severe COVID-19 patients (P<0.05). In particular, the partial pressure of oxygen was significantly lower in severe COVID-19 patients than in their moderate counter parts (71.31±23.54 vs. 101.06±34.43, U=156, P=0.006). Total lymphocytes was lower in severe group than in moderate group [1.659±0.643 vs. 0.745 (0.645, 0.928), U=109, P=0.000]. Also, a higher proportion of female than male patients had anxiety (χ2=5.388, P=0.02). COVID-19 patients who received antiviral medications also displayed a higher rate of anxiety (χ2=4.481, P=0.034). Total lymphocytes between the non-anxiety and anxiety had statistical difference (U=321, P=0.019). Meanwhile, total lymphocytes between the non-depression and depression also had statistical difference (U=389.5, P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with COVID-19, females and those treated with antiviral medications were more likely to experience anxiety. In addition, our findings reflected the effect of anxiety and depression on immune system.","Zhou, Feng; Wang, Rong-Rong; Huang, Han-Ping; Du, Chun-Ling; Wu, Chao-Min; Qian, Xue-Mei; Li, Wei-Li; Wang, Ju-Li; Jiang, Lv-Yan; Jiang, Hui-Jia; Yu, Wen-Jie; Cheng, Ke-Bin","https://dx.doi.org/10.21037/apm-21-212","","Country: CN; CHINA; CHINA; CHINA; REPUBLIC OF CHINA; Database: MEDLINE; Publication details: Ann Palliat Med;10(2): 2167-2174, 2021 Feb.; Publication details: Ann Palliat Med;10(2): 2167-2174, 2021 Feb.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12138,""
"Adaptive dating and fast proposals: Revisiting the phylogenetic relaxed clock model","Relaxed clock models enable estimation of molecular substitution rates across lineages and are widely used in phylogenetics for dating evolutionary divergence times. Under the (uncorrelated) relaxed clock model, tree branches are associated with molecular substitution rates which are independently and identically distributed. In this article we delved into the internal complexities of the relaxed clock model in order to develop efficient MCMC operators for Bayesian phylogenetic inference. We compared three substitution rate parameterisations, introduced an adaptive operator which learns the weights of other operators during MCMC, and we explored how relaxed clock model estimation can benefit from two cutting-edge proposal kernels: the AVMVN and Bactrian kernels. This work has produced an operator scheme that is up to 65 times more efficient at exploring continuous relaxed clock parameters compared with previous setups, depending on the dataset. Finally, we explored variants of the standard narrow exchange operator which are specifically designed for the relaxed clock model. In the most extreme case, this new operator traversed tree space 40% more efficiently than narrow exchange. The methodologies introduced are adaptive and highly effective on short as well as long alignments. The results are available via the open source optimised relaxed clock (ORC) package for BEAST 2 under a GNU licence (https://github.com/jordandouglas/ORC).","Douglas, Jordan; Zhang, Rong; Bouckaert, Remco","https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008322","","Country: US; ESTADOS UNIDOS; UNITED STATES; ESTADOS UNIDOS; USA; EUA; US; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; ESTADOS UNIDOS DA AMERICA; EEUU; Database: MEDLINE; Publication details: PLoS Comput Biol;17(2): e1008322, 2021 Feb.; Publication details: PLoS Comput Biol;17(2): e1008322, 2021 Feb.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12139,""
"UK advanced practice nurses' experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed-methods cross-sectional study","OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to understand the experiences of advanced practice nurses (APNs) in the UK during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in relation to safety, shortages and retention. DESIGN: A cross-sectional, mixed-methods survey. SETTING: APNs in any UK setting. PARTICIPANTS: The survey was sent to an existing UK-wide cohort of APNs. 124 APNs responded (51%). RESULTS: UK-based APNs in this study reported shortages of staff (51%) and personal protective equipment (PPE) (68%) during the first 3 months of the coronavirus outbreak. Almost half (47%) had considered leaving their job over the same 3 months. Despite difficulties, there were reports of positive changes to working practice that have enhanced care. CONCLUSION: UK APNs report COVID-19-related shortages in staff and equipment across primary and secondary care and all regions of the UK. Shortages of PPE during a pandemic are known to be a factor in the development of mental health sequelae as well as a risk factor for increased turnover and retention issues. Half of APNs surveyed were considering a change in job. The UK risks a further crisis in staff morale and retention if this is not acknowledged and addressed. APNs also expressed concern about patients not receiving routine care as many specialties closed or reduced working during the crisis. However, there were also many examples of good practice, positive changes and innovation.","Wood, Emily; King, Rachel; Senek, Michaela; Robertson, Steve; Taylor, Bethany; Tod, Angela; Ryan, Anthony","https://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044139","","Country: GB; REINO UNIDO; UNITED KINGDOM; REINO UNIDO; UK; GREAT BRITAIN; INGLATERRA; ENGLAND; ESCOCIA; SCOTLAND; Database: MEDLINE; Publication details: BMJ Open;11(3): e044139, 2021 Mar 16.; Publication details: BMJ Open;11(3): e044139, 2021 Mar 16.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12140,""
"[Did child-psychiatry patients really experience the dreaded clinical degradation during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown?]; Les enfants suivis en psychiatrie infanto-juvénile ont ils connu la dégradation redoutée pendant la période de confinement liée à la pandémie COVID-19 ?","Background: The general lockdown period during the COVID-19 pandemic which covered mid-March to mid-May 2020 in France raised important questions about the direct and indirect psychological effects on children and adolescents. Perceived intuitively as harmful and even traumatic in the media's discourse, we tried to better qualify its effects from two complementary approaches. We carried out a review of the literature on the subject to which we associated a regular assessment of the children's global clinical state in the entire active file of the child-psychiatry department of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Brest throughout the lockdown period.The findings of the literature review on the psychological effects of lockdowns or quarantines during past or current epidemics, in particular in China, report many deleterious and variable effects such as symptoms of anxiety, depression, as well as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, at a significant rate. However, the definition of the situations experienced and the contexts in which those studies took place appear to be not truly comparable to the French situation. Moreover, the effects of the fear of contamination are not differentiated from those linked to confinement itself. Patients and methods: Among children and adolescents under the care of the above department, 354 underwent an assessment of the impact of lockdown on their global clinical condition using the Clinical Global Impression Improvement (CGI-I) performed by their usual practitioner during the period from March 16 to May 11, 2020. Results: Our results highlight that 50% of children remained in stable condition, 25 to 30% improved and 20 to 25% experienced a slight degradation. The evolution of the clinical status appeared stable over time during the eight weeks. The initial age or severity of mental disorder had no significant influence, although there was a slightly more frequent improvement in adolescents. Conclusion: These results are quite inconsistent with general discourse and common expectations. Several psychopathological hypotheses are discussed to support this absence of psychological degradation which might even be extended to children and adolescents in the general population.","Lavenne-Collot, N; Ailliot, P; Badic, S; Favé, A; François, G; Saint-André, S; Thierry, A; Bronsard, G","https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neurenf.2021.02.006","","Country: FR; FRANÇA; FRANCE; FRANCIA; Database: MEDLINE; Publication details: Neuropsychiatr Enfance Adolesc;2021 Mar 02.; Publication details: Neuropsychiatr Enfance Adolesc;2021 Mar 02.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12141,""
"Cultivating the Therapeutic Alliance in a Telemental Health Setting","Telemental health services have broadened during the last decade (Choi et al. 2019; Pierce et al. 2020). More recently, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) restrictions have led to an escalation in clinical services through telemental health settings. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to consider perspectives of Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT)s who are working in telemental health settings prior to and/or as a result of COVID-19 restrictions and consider the role that telemental health has in building therapeutic connections with clients. Researchers presented an online survey that explored participants' perceptions of providing telemental health. Participants included 23 MFTs who were currently licensed or working under an MFT supervisor. Data analysis uncovered the following thematic responses: (a) doing telemental health is similar, but different, than in-person therapy, (b) adapting to telemental health is worthwhile, and (c) validating clients' voices and experiences is fundamental to building an alliance in telemental health therapy. Findings supported the importance of further training in telemental health, specifically related to cultural humility and alliance building within telemental health settings.","Glass, Valerie Q; Bickler, Aurélia","https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10591-021-09570-0","","Country: US; ESTADOS UNIDOS; UNITED STATES; ESTADOS UNIDOS; USA; EUA; US; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; ESTADOS UNIDOS DA AMERICA; EEUU; Database: MEDLINE; Publication details: Contemp Fam Ther;: 1-10, 2021 Mar 11.; Publication details: Contemp Fam Ther;: 1-10, 2021 Mar 11.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12142,""
"Four-Month Clinical Status of a Cohort of Patients After Hospitalization for COVID-19","Importance: Little is known about long-term sequelae of COVID-19. Objective: To describe the consequences at 4 months in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. Design, Setting, and Participants: In a prospective uncontrolled cohort study, survivors of COVID-19 who had been hospitalized in a university hospital in France between March 1 and May 29, 2020, underwent a telephone assessment 4 months after discharge, between July 15 and September 18, 2020. Patients with relevant symptoms and all patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit (ICU) were invited for further assessment at an ambulatory care visit. Exposures: Survival of hospitalization for COVID-19. Main Outcomes and Measures: Respiratory, cognitive, and functional symptoms were assessed by telephone with the Q3PC cognitive screening questionnaire and a checklist of symptoms. At the ambulatory care visit, patients underwent pulmonary function tests, lung computed tomographic scan, psychometric and cognitive tests (including the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey and 20-item Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory), and, for patients who had been hospitalized in the ICU or reported ongoing symptoms, echocardiography. Results: Among 834 eligible patients, 478 were evaluated by telephone (mean age, 61 years [SD, 16 years]; 201 men, 277 women). During the telephone interview, 244 patients (51%) declared at least 1 symptom that did not exist before COVID-19: fatigue in 31%, cognitive symptoms in 21%, and new-onset dyspnea in 16%. There was further evaluation in 177 patients (37%), including 97 of 142 former ICU patients. The median 20-item Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory score (n = 130) was 4.5 (interquartile range, 3.0-5.0) for reduced motivation and 3.7 (interquartile range, 3.0-4.5) for mental fatigue (possible range, 1 [best] to 5 [worst]). The median 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey score (n = 145) was 25 (interquartile range, 25.0-75.0) for the subscale ""role limited owing to physical problems"" (possible range, 0 [best] to 100 [worst]). Computed tomographic lung-scan abnormalities were found in 108 of 171 patients (63%), mainly subtle ground-glass opacities. Fibrotic lesions were observed in 33 of 171 patients (19%), involving less than 25% of parenchyma in all but 1 patient. Fibrotic lesions were observed in 19 of 49 survivors (39%) with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Among 94 former ICU patients, anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic symptoms were observed in 23%, 18%, and 7%, respectively. The left ventricular ejection fraction was less than 50% in 8 of 83 ICU patients (10%). New-onset chronic kidney disease was observed in 2 ICU patients. Serology was positive in 172 of 177 outpatients (97%). Conclusions and Relevance: Four months after hospitalization for COVID-19, a cohort of patients frequently reported symptoms not previously present, and lung-scan abnormalities were common among those who were tested. These findings are limited by the absence of a control group and of pre-COVID assessments in this cohort. Further research is needed to understand longer-term outcomes and whether these findings reflect associations with the disease.","Morin, Luc; Savale, Laurent; Pham, Tà i; Colle, Romain; Figueiredo, Samy; Harrois, Anatole; Gasnier, Matthieu; Lecoq, Anne-Lise; Meyrignac, Olivier; Noel, Nicolas; Baudry, Elodie; Bellin, Marie-France; Beurnier, Antoine; Choucha, Walid; Corruble, Emmanuelle; Dortet, Laurent; Hardy-Leger, Isabelle; Radiguer, François; Sportouch, Sabine; Verny, Christiane; Wyplosz, Benjamin; Zaidan, Mohamad; Becquemont, Laurent; Montani, David; Monnet, Xavier","https://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2021.3331","","Country: US; ESTADOS UNIDOS; UNITED STATES; ESTADOS UNIDOS; USA; EUA; US; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; ESTADOS UNIDOS DA AMERICA; EEUU; Database: MEDLINE; Publication details: JAMA;2021 Mar 17.; Publication details: JAMA;2021 Mar 17.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12143,""
"The Dollar and its Discontents","The dollar fell by 10 per cent between its March 2020 high and the end of the calendar year, and many banks and forecasters expect it to fall further, by as much as 35 per cent in 2021 Dollar skeptics cite the end of safe-haven flows following the approval of CO VID vaccines, the Federal Reserve's aggressive quantitative easing, America's twin deficits, and the rise of viable alternatives to the greenback This article argues, in contrast, that this dollar pessimism is overdrawn","Eichengreen, Barry","https://doi.org/10.22904/sje.2021.34.1.001","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Seoul Journal of Economics;34(1):1-15, 2021.; Publication details: Seoul Journal of Economics;34(1):1-15, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12144,""
"The relationship between nutritional deficiencies and mental health","The objective of this mini review was to discuss the relationship between nutritional deficiencies and mental health, and to present a structure that helps to visualize these associations based on a literature review and the scenarios of the COVID-19 pandemic The study was conducted to demonstrate the effect of the nutritional deficiencies on the occurrence and/or worsening of mental health problems, mainly related to the most drastic measures of social distance during the COVID-19 pandemic Studies have already shown that a nutritionally unbalanced diet may be associated with greater chances of mental health problems Insufficient levels of micronutrients can, by regulating the stress response, immune and oxidative systems, negatively affect brain functions and, consequently, cognitive functions and mental health of individuals The current pandemic of COVID-19 reveals an increase in food and nutritional insecurity, and a worsening of this situation among already vulnerable populations Micronutrient deficiencies may be exacerbated in a context of increased food insecurity and the COVID-19 pandemic, which may contribute to increased mental health problems © 2021, Sociedad Chilena de Nutricion Bromatologia y Toxilogica All rights reserved","Rocha, A. S.; Teixeira, C. S. S.; Coelho, C. G.; Alves, F. J. O.; Machado, D. B.","https://doi.org/10.4067/s0717-75182021000100103","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Revista Chilena de Nutricion;48(1):103-108, 2021.; Publication details: Revista Chilena de Nutricion;48(1):103-108, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12145,""
"Sources of Health Anxiety for Hospital Staff Working during the Covid-19 Pandemic","Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the likelihood that hospital staff will report symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress has increased The aim of this study was to evaluate the relative influences of circumstantial, demographic, and trait–state anxiety variables on health anxiety in this group Methods: A total of 168 hospital staff members (mean age: 28 91 years;56 5% females) participated in the study They completed a series of questionnaires covering sociodemographic characteristics, health anxiety, state–trait anxiety, and job-related information Participants also reported whether they had close acquaintances (friends, family members) infected with COVID-19 Results: Higher health anxiety was related to both trait and state anxiety Working on the frontline, being in contact with close acquaintances infected with COVID-19, and higher state and trait anxiety predicted higher health anxiety Gender, age, and educational background were not predictors Conclusions: In a sample of hospital staff, subjective feelings of anxiety about one own’s health were related to personality traits, individual experiences of having close acquaintances infected with COVID-19, and working on the frontline","Shayganfard, Mehran, Mahdavi, Fateme, Haghighi, Mohammad, Sadeghi-Bahmani, Dena, Brand, Serge","https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18063094","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health;18(6):3094, 2021.; Publication details: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health;18(6):3094, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12146,""
"Nine months into the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study showing mental health and movement behaviours are impaired in UK students","Initial studies indicated that student mental health was impaired during the early stages of the pandemic and that maintaining/improving physical activity gave some protection from mental illness However, as the pandemic persists, these data may not reflect current circumstances and may have been confounded by exam stress Methods: This study used an online survey to assess the changes in, and associations between, mental health and movement behaviours in 255 UK university students from before the COVID-19 pandemic (October 2019) to 9 months following the UK’s first confirmed case (October 2020) Changes in and associations between mental wellbeing, perceived stress, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour were assessed using a mixed model ANOVA;a multiple linear regression model determined the predictive value of variables associated with <U+0394> mental wellbeing Results: Mental wellbeing and physical activity decreased (45 2 to 42 3 (p < 0 001);223 to 173 min/week (p < 0 001)), whereas perceived stress and time spent sedentary increased (19 8 to 22 8 (p < 0 001);66 0 to 71 2 h/week (p = 0 036)) <U+0394> perceived stress, <U+0394> sedentary behaviour and university year accounted for 64 7%, 12 9%, and 10 1% of the variance in <U+0394> mental wellbeing (p < 0 001;p = 0 006;p = 0 035) Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic is having a sustained negative impact on student mental health and movement behaviour © 2021 by the authors Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland","Savage, M. J.; Hennis, P. J.; Magistro, D.; Donaldson, J.; Healy, L. C.; James, R. M.","https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18062930","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health;18(6):1-10, 2021.; Publication details: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health;18(6):1-10, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12147,""
"A sense of coherence: Drawing for the mind","As part of the award-winning Big Anxiety Festival in Australia, an exhibition of mixed-media drawings of plants and seeds was displayed at the University of Sydney, at the same time as two public drawing workshops in the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney This paper describes and summarizes the various drawing techniques used in these workshops, and discusses the feedback from participants, who self-identified as having anxiety Drawing using different types of approaches allowed workshop participants to mediate their tacit knowledge of the symptoms and solutions of living with anxiety, and to transition to a lived experience of proactively using drawings to improve their individual cognition, mindsets and mental health Utilizing the platform afforded by the promotion of Mental Health Month in New South Wales, allowed the drawing exhibitions and workshops to be understood more broadly within an interdisciplinary context, which embedded their impact on other fields of research, including ecopsychology and biophilia, in a salutogenic model of practice Specific to this approach, a 'sense of coherence' was deliberately embedded in both of the workshops' sequential drawing exercises, which were observational and objective in intent The exhibitions in 2017 and 2019 also consciously deployed a 'sense of coherence' in their design Documentation drawings have recently been used as a tool to alleviate anxiety and promote wellness in medical staff working in a UK Emergency Department during the COVID-19 pandemic This demonstrated the widespread potential applications for drawings to provide an antidote and a method of communication to proactively and positively assist mental health Further research and exploration of the role that drawing plants and nature can play in the construction of learning in the context of individuals struggling with anxiety may offer routes to new knowledge and better understanding and potentially enhance connections between art and health researchers and institutions globally © 2020 Intellect Ltd Project Reports English language","Robertson, E.","https://doi.org/10.1386/drtp_00042_1","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Drawing: Research, Theory, Practice;5(2):333-350, 2020.; Publication details: Drawing: Research, Theory, Practice;5(2):333-350, 2020.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12148,""
"Personality trait predictors of adjustment during the COVID pandemic among college students","Personality traits have been found to be related to a variety of health outcomes The aim of this study was to examine how personality traits were associated with adjustment to the COVID pandemic in college students The sample included 484 first-year university students (76% female) attending a northeastern university who completed the Big Five Inventory (BFI) personality assessment at the beginning of a semester that was disrupted by the COVID pandemic Using a phone-based app, students completed daily ratings of mood, perceived stress levels, and engagement in a number of health promotion activities (exercise, mindfulness, adequate sleep, etc ) throughout the semester both before and after the onset of the pandemic (e g , a within-person longitudinal design) Results, as expected, showed that mood and wellness indices generally declined during the COVID period, although stress levels actually decreased Further, irrespective of COVID, improved mood, less perceived stress and greater participation in health promotion activities were significantly associated with a number of personality traits including neuroticism (lower), extraversion (higher), agreeableness (higher), and conscientiousness (higher) Of primary interest, mixed-effects models were used to test how major personality traits interacted with any changes in daily ratings from the pre-COVID to COVID period Significant interactions terms were found suggesting differential impacts of the COVID epidemic for students with low versus high levels of particular traits Higher levels of extraversion, for example, were found to be related to decreases in mood as the pandemic progressed in contrast to those with lower extraversion, for whom there was a slight increase in mood over time These data support the conclusion that personality traits are related to mental health and can play a role in a person's ability to cope with major stressful events Different traits may also be more adaptive to different types of stressors","Rettew, D. C.; McGinnis, E. W.; Copeland, W.; Nardone, H. Y.; Bai, Y.; Rettew, J.; Devadenam, V.; Hudziak, J. J.","https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248895","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: PLoS One;16(3):e0248895, 2021.; Publication details: PLoS One;16(3):e0248895, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12149,""
"SARS-CoV-2 as Enteric Virus in Wastewater: Which Risk on the Environment and Human Behavior?","Microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, and protozoa are the cause of many waterborne human infections These microbes are either naturally present in aquatic environments or transferred within them by fecal sources They remain in these environments for varying lengths of time before contaminating a new host With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, some studies have reported the presence of viral nucleic acids in stool samples from COVID-19 patients, suggesting the possibility of fecal-oral transmission The SARS-CoV-2 RNA was thereby detected in the wastewater of symptomatic and asymptomatic people with a risk to human and environmental health In this work, we try to discuss the different potential sources of this contamination, the forms of persistence in the environment, the techniques of partial elimination, and the possibility of creating new reservoirs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Microbiology Insights is the property of Sage Publications Inc and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )","Sbaoui, Yousra, Bennis, Faïza, Chegdani, Fatima","https://doi.org/10.1177/1178636121999673","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Microbiology Insights;: 1-9, 2021.; Publication details: Microbiology Insights;: 1-9, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12150,""
"Development of Augmented Physics Animation (APA) with the Integration of Crosscutting Concepts about the Covid-19 as a Supplement to the Introductory Physics Course","The purpose of this study was to produce augmented physics animation (APA) with the crosscutting concept of the COVID 19 pandemic APA was used as a supplement to introductory physics courses The research method used Research and Development (R&D) with the 4D development model, which consists of (1) define, (2) design, (3) develop, and (4) disseminate Assessment of the product involved three material experts from the fields of physics, chemistry, and biology In addition, an education expert was also involved, especially regarding teaching materials The user's motivation level involved thirty students (N = 30) from the Department of Physics Education, UNTIRTA, in the second semester The products produced were interactive teaching materials used augmented reality technology, integrated with crosscutting concepts of the COVID 19 pandemic The results showed that the APA developed was ""feasible"" in terms of material and educational aspects Also, this augmented physics animation can increase student motivation levels in deepening fundamental physics APA makes it easier to understand the concepts of physics associated with real life, especially concerning the COVID 19 pandemic © 2021 American Institute of Physics Inc All rights reserved","Guntara, Y.; Saefullah, A.; Wibowo, F. C.; Nulhakim, L.; Darman, D. R.; Darmawan, I. A.; Irwanto, Setiawan, S.; Wibowo, T. U. S. H.","https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0037459","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: AIP Conf. Proc.;2320, 2021.; Publication details: AIP Conf. Proc.;2320, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12151,""
"SnapShot: Neurobiology of opioid use disorder","The use of opioid drugs and related overdose deaths, which rose to epidemic proportions over the past decade, have been exacerbated by the COVID pandemic, a time of great uncertainty and isolation Much is known about opioid pharmacology and related neural circuits that, combined with novel emerging neurobiological insights, can help guide new treatment strategies To view this SnapShot, open or download the PDF [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Cell is the property of Cell Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )","Ellis, Randall J.; Rahman, Tanni, Sherman, Jeremy, Hurd, Yasmin L.","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2021.02.039","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Cell;184(6):1648-1648, 2021.; Publication details: Cell;184(6):1648-1648, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12152,""
"A Systematic Review of Social Media for Intelligent Human-Computer Interaction Research: Why Smart Social Media is Not Enough","As social media shapes human behavior and social interactions, especially with the help of Big Data and artificial intelligence, it becomes an important site for policy and design interventions Since no systematic review on social media research for intelligent HCI has been conducted, the article presents exploratory findings on a scientometric analysis of the literature at the intersections of social media and AI By identifying and discussing the main and emerging disciplines and the related keywords from 2,443 articles along with more than 18,000 citations, the findings show that while Twitter and Facebook have been the main platforms for study, Chinese social media platforms emerge as new sites of research with the COVID-19 Also, sentiment analysis appears to be the most prominent research practices, with implications on the issues of privacy, misinformation, depression, and mental health) Four key dimensions of social media are summarized as foundations for the proposed research agenda for intelligent HCI that is not only smart, but also fair and inclusive © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG","Liao, H. T.; Zhou, Z.; Zhou, Y.","https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68449-5_48","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Lect. Notes Comput. Sci.;12615 LNCS:499-510, 2021.; Publication details: Lect. Notes Comput. Sci.;12615 LNCS:499-510, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12153,""
"Education beyond COVID-19 –the world academic coalition","The recent outbreak of the contagious Coronavirus infection that is considered to be the greatest health threat after the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918 impacted the lives of people belonging to all sectors of society Besides affecting the economy of all the countries it created a major disruption to the mental health of the general public irrespective of the part of the earth they belong to The rate of spread of the infection was high and in many scenarios remained asymptomatic This peculiar nature of this disease mandated the governments across the globe to ban the free functioning of public places Schools, Colleges, Universities, Restaurants, etc were ordered to remain closed This was adopted by the governments as a measure to control the spread of the disease The education sector also underwent a massive hit as a result of this pandemic The world economic forum reported that more than 1 2 billion children belonging to 186 countries around the globe are not attending regular schools as the schools remain closed to control the spread rate of the disease As per the statement of the World Health Organization (WHO), it is believed that this pandemic caused devastation to the lives of nearly 28,584,158 people across the world The students, teachers, and parents suffered psychologically as they have not experienced a situation of this sort earlier The decline in job opportunities as a consequence of the economic slowdown created panic in the minds of young graduates The drastic shift from teaching in-person to leveraging the technological advancements to conduct classes contributed in many ways to affect the mental health of students, parents, and teachers This was a challenge for the policymakers as well This article is devoted to exploring the different psychological disturbances experienced by students, teachers, parents, and others as a consequence of this COVID-19 pandemic on the education system A discussion of a few of the literature already in existence in this context is carried out and suggestions to tackle this novel crisis are present Keeping ourselves mentally strong and calm is needed to increase our productivity This article stresses the importance of that too Also, case studies of the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the educational ecosystem of India and Ethiopia are presented © 2021, Universitatea de Vest Vasile Goldis din Arad All rights reserved","Dereso, C.; Omprakash, H. M.; Ram Chandra, K.; Alam, J.; Madhavi Rani, K. S. V. K. S.; Nagalakshmi, V.","https://www.google.com/search?q=Education+beyond+COVID-19+–the+world+academic+coalition","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Annals of the Romanian Society for Cell Biology;25(2):2062-2076, 2021.; Publication details: Annals of the Romanian Society for Cell Biology;25(2):2062-2076, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12154,""
"[Rethinking partnerships between primary schools and child psychiatry public health services in times of COVID-19]; Repenser les partenariats entre écoles primaires et secteurs de psychiatrie infanto-juvénile en temps de COVID-19","INTRODUCTION: On a global scale, bringing together schools and public child psychiatry services is favored to promote the development of early interventions that could improve health trajectories, from prevention to treatment, for children exposed to psychological and psychiatric difficulties. In a public health perspective, contextualizing these practices is essential in order to ensure their sustainability and efficiency. This article sheds light on the stakes of these partnerships and their advantages in responding to the health, social, and economic mark that has been left behind by the crisis accompanying the brutal onset of the Covid-19 epidemic. AIMS: Improving the health care management for children with mental health problems or problems of a psychological nature implies taking into account their environment beyond the therapeutic framework. Interventional research, currently underway, is taking place in several sites in France: primary schools, Medical-psychological centers (CMP), and Local Committees on Mental Health (CLSM). The goal is to provide an inventory and an analysis of the partnership and interventional structures that are most efficient, based on the needs and available resources at each site. This research envisages a diversification and a contextualization of the offer of care, with great concern for equity and therapeutic efficacy, starting from school. RESULTS: More than simple results, our aim is to make suggestions as to how to better accompany the end of confinement and the months to come. The development of partnerships in regions that are strongly marked by social and economic inequalities is a priority in terms of public health and the direction of local policies. These partnerships would contribute to a global strategy of evaluating the needs and the personalized accompaniment of children. Formalizing the intervention with the interface being the school sector will support the school staff in overcoming the health crisis that is affecting their institution. The steady rise of CLSMs will enhance local coordination and collaboration to help the most psychologically vulnerable children and aid their parents, given their situation, to support the development of their children. CONCLUSION: Restoring human and material resources to existing structures, notably in the sector of child psychiatry so that it can accomplish its public service mission seems to be a priority today. Establishing school-CMP-CLSM partnerships can contribute to providing local policy direction in the interest of elaborating individual and collective strategies that can ensure needs-adapted care that is accessible to as many children as possible.","Bonneton, Sandrine; Maillard, Isabelle; Denis, Frédéric; Roelandt, Jean-Luc","https://dx.doi.org/10.3917/spub.205.0531","","Country: FR; FRANÇA; FRANCE; FRANCIA; Database: MEDLINE; Publication details: Sante Publique;32(5): 531-535, 2020.; Publication details: Sante Publique;32(5): 531-535, 2020.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12155,""
"[Implementation and evaluation of a telephone hotline for professional mental health first aid during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany]; Implementierung und Evaluation einer Telefonhotline zur professionellen Ersthilfe bei psychischen Belastungen durch die COVID-19-Pandemie in Baden-Württemberg","BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic represents a significant psychological burden for many people; however, especially during the first wave of the pandemic in Germany, little acute professional help was available for people in need. OBJECTIVE: In southern Germany, a telephone hotline for psychological first aid for COVID-19-related burdens was set up under the lead of the Baden-Wuerttemberg Ministry of Social Affairs and Integration, opened to the entire population and evaluated in April 2020. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In the period from 22 April to 24 July 2020, 753 volunteer psychotherapeutically trained counselors from different professional groups answered a total of 8096 calls. RESULTS: Depression symptoms (36%), anxiety symptoms (18%) and psychotic symptoms (19%) were most frequently reported. Every second call was related to a previous mental illness. During the counseling sessions, which lasted 25â<U+0080>¯min on average, a variety of psychological acute interventions were conducted. In the presence of unclear symptoms, psychotic symptoms or severe personality disorder symptoms, the counselors were able to help significantly less compared to the remaining calls in which other clearly defined symptoms were present. CONCLUSION: The results point to both the benefits and limitations of hotline services. The major benefits relate to the fast availability and effective professional help for people with clearly characterized symptoms. In the case of unclear or complex symptoms, immediate help by telephone seems to be possible only to a limited extent, but it could initiate access to further help offers. Overall, the results of this study provide a first indication that hotline services for psychological first aid are feasible under pandemic conditions.","Vonderlin, Ruben; Biermann, Miriam; Konrad, Michael; Klett, Martin; Kleindienst, Nikolaus; Bailer, Josef; Lis, Stefanie; Bohus, Martin","https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00115-021-01089-x","","Country: DE; ALEMANHA; GERMANY; ALEMANIA; DEUSTCHLAND; Database: MEDLINE; Publication details: Nervenarzt;2021 Mar 16.; Publication details: Nervenarzt;2021 Mar 16.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12156,""
"Coronavirus: A ""Mild"" Virus Turned Deadly Infection","Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that can be transmitted from one person to another Earlier strains have only been mild viruses, but the current form, known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has become a deadly infection The outbreak originated in Wuhan, China, and has since spread worldwide The symptoms of COVID-19 include a dry cough, sore throat, fever, and nasal congestion Antimicrobial drugs, pathogen-host interaction, and 2 weeks of isolation have been recommended for the treatment of the infection Safe operating procedures, such as the use of face masks, hand sanitizer, handwashing with soap, and social distancing, are also suggested Moreover, travel bans for cities, states, and countries have been put in place, along with lockdowns to control the outbreak Travel restrictions, mask use, sanitizer or soap use, and avoidance of touching the face and nose have produced encouraging results, whereas the effectiveness of antibiotics has not been proved The results of isolation for the recovery of infected people have also been promising Travel bans and lockdowns have caused a slump in economies, and unemployment has risen sharply, resulting in an increase in mental health cases globally To date, vaccines have been developed and are in use in certain countries, but following standard operating procedures remain critical The countries following the guidelines can eradicate this virus New Zealand was the first country to eliminate the virus from their territory","Naqvi, R. A.; Mushtaq, M. F.; Mian, N. A.; Khan, M. A.; Atta ur, Rahman, Yousaf, M. A.; Umair, M.; Majeed, R.","https://doi.org/10.32604/cmc.2021.012167","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Cmc-Computers Materials & Continua;67(2):2631-2646, 2021.; Publication details: Cmc-Computers Materials & Continua;67(2):2631-2646, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12157,""
"The Effect of Stress Perceived by Adults Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic on Their Sleep Quality","Objective: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) causes stress, anxiety, depression and sleep disturbance as well as common physical health problems This study aimed to determine the effect of stress perceived by adults due to the COVID-19 pandemic on their sleep quality Materials and Methods: Using the snowball sampling method for sample selection, 1 909 individuals aged 18-65 years living in Turkey who agreed to participate in the research, were knowledgeable about the use of social media and were not diagnosed with any psychiatric disorders were included in this descriptive study Data collection forms were uploaded online and published via Google Forms The survey was conducted between 30 April and 10 May 2020 Sociodemographic information form, Perceived Stress scale (PSS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality index (PSQI) were used as data collection tools Results: The participants scored 15 58±5 16 points in the perceived insufficient Self-Efficacy subscale, 15 20±5 41 in the perceived stress/distress subscale and 30 78±8 85 in the total PSS The PSQI score was 7 78±3 46, and 71 6% of the participants had poor sleep quality A significant, positive and weak relationship was found between the total scores on PSQI and PSS (p<0 05) Conclusion: Results of this study suggest that adults had higher perceived stress and poor sleep quality and their sleep quality decreases as the perceived stress increases during the COVID-19 pandemic Amaç: Koronavirüs hastaligi-2019 (COVID-19), yaygin fiziksel saglik problemlerinin yani sira bireyde stres, anksiyete, depresyon ve uyku bozukluguna neden olmaktadir Çalisma, yetiskinlerin COVID-19 salgini nedeniyle algiladiklari stresin uyku kalitelerine etkisini belirlemek amaciyla yapildi Gereç ve Yöntem: Tanimlayici tipte olan arastirmanin evrenini Türkiye'de yasayan 18-65 yas arasi bireyler olusturmustur Arastirmanin örneklem seçiminde kartopu örnekleme yönteminden yararlanarak arastirmaya katilmayi kabul eden, 18-65 yas arasinda olan, sosyal medya kullanmayi bilen, herhangi bir psikiyatrik bozukluk tanisi olmayan toplam 1,909 kisi yer almistir Arastirmada kullanilacak veri toplama formlari online ortama aktarilarak Google form üzerinden yayinlanmistir Anket uygulamasi, 30 Nisan-10 Mayis 2020 tarihleri arasinda yapilmistir Arastirmada veri toplama araci olarak sosyodemografik bilgi formu, Algilanan Stres ölçegi (ASÖ) ve Pittsburgh Uyku Kalitesi indeksi (PUKÍ) kullanilmistir Bulgular: Katilimcilar yetersiz öz yeterlik algisi alt boyutundan 15,58±5,16, stres/rahatsizlik algisi alt boyutundan 15,20±5,41 ve ASÖ toplamindan 30,78±8,85 puan almislardir Katilimcilarin PUKÍ toplam puani 7,78±3,46 olup katilimcilarin %71,6'sinin uyku kalitesinin kötü oldugu belirlenmistir PUKÍ toplam puani ile toplam ASÖ puani arasinda istatistiksel olarak anlamli, pozitif yönlü ve düsük düzeyli iliski saptanmistir (p<0,05) Sonuç: Arastirma sonucunda yetiskinlerin COVID-19 pandemi sürecinde algiladiklari stresin yüksek, uyku kalitelerinin kötü oldugu ve algiladiklari stres artikça uyku kalitelerinin azaldigi saptanmistir","Baskan, Sebahat Atalikoglu, Günes, Demet","https://doi.org/10.4274/jtsm.galenos.2021.02996","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Journal of Turkish Sleep Medicine;8(1):57-66, 2021.; Publication details: Journal of Turkish Sleep Medicine;8(1):57-66, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12158,""
"Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic in Public Mental Health: An Extensive Narrative Review","The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has surprised health authorities around the world producing a global health crisis This research discusses the main psychosocial stressors associated with COVID-19 in the literature, and the responses of global public mental health services to these events Thus, a consensus and critical review were performed using both primary sources, such as scientific articles and secondary ones, such as bibliographic indexes, web pages, and databases The main search engines were PubMed, SciELO, and Google Scholar The method was a systematic literature review (SLR) of the available literature regarding mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic to conduct the present narrative review Different stressors are identified in this pandemic, from psychophysiological, confinement, to social and work Depending on the level of severity and the country of origin, various interventions have been applied that mark different ways of returning to normality and preparing new interventions This new stressor has a direct impact on the mental health of the population, provoking governments, and health services to become more flexible, innovate and adapt to the changing situation The use of technology and mass media could be an important tool in this aim Independent of this, preparing the general population for possible future waves of the pandemic is currently the best measure to mitigate more serious effects on the mental health of the population","Clemente-Suárez, Vicente Javier, Navarro-Jiménez, Eduardo, Jimenez, Manuel, Hormeño-Holgado, Alberto, Martinez-Gonzalez, Marina Begoña, Benitez-Agudelo, Juan Camilo, Perez-Palencia, Natalia, Laborde-Cárdenas, Carmen Cecilia, Tornero-Aguilera, Jose Francisco","https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063221","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Sustainability;13(6):3221, 2021.; Publication details: Sustainability;13(6):3221, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12159,""
"Physical Exercise Moderates the Effects of Disability on Depression in People with Multiple Sclerosis during the Covid-19 Outbreak","Physical disability impacts psychosocial wellbeing in people with multiple sclerosis However, the role of physical activity in this context is still debated By taking advantage of a previous survey, conducted online from 22 April to 7 May 2020, we performed a post-hoc analysis with the aim to assess the associations between disability, physical exercise, and mental health in multiple sclerosis We retrieved the following data: (i) sociodemographic information, (ii) changes in lifestyle (including exercise), (iii) physical disability, as measured with the Patient-Determined Disease Steps scale, and (iv) anxiety feelings and depressive symptoms assessed via the items included in the Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders measurement system Examination of the interaction plot showed that the effect of disability on depression, but not on anxious symptoms, was significant for all levels of physical exercise (low: b = 1 22, 95% C I 0 85, 1 58, p <0 001;moderate: b = 0 95, 95% C I 0 66, 1 24, p <0 001;and high: b = 0 68, 95% C I 0 24, 1 13, p = 0 003) Based on these data, we can conclude that disability significantly impacted depression during the COVID-19 pandemic, with physical activity playing a moderating role Our results suggest that favoring exercise in multiple sclerosis (MS) would ameliorate psychological wellbeing regardless of the level of physical disability","Carotenuto, Antonio, Scandurra, Cristiano, Costabile, Teresa, Lavorgna, Luigi, Borriello, Giovanna, Moiola, Lucia, Inglese, Matilde, Trojsi, Francesca, Petruzzo, Martina, Ianniello, Antonio, Nozzolillo, Agostino, Cellerino, Maria, Boffa, Giacomo, Rosa, Laura, Chiodi, Alessandro, Servillo, Giuseppe, Moccia, Marcello, Bonavita, Simona, Filippi, Massimo, Petracca, Maria, Brescia Morra, Vincenzo, Lanzillo, Roberta","https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10061234","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Journal of Clinical Medicine;10(6):1234, 2021.; Publication details: Journal of Clinical Medicine;10(6):1234, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12160,""
"The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Psychological Health and Insomnia among People with Chronic Diseases","The outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic highlighted the serious problems of health care systems but also threatened the mental and physical health of patients worldwide The goal of this study was to assess psychological health and insomnia in people with chronic diseases in the time of elevated stress associated with the pandemic The study involved 879 people from Zachodniopomorskie province in Poland Each participant provided basic demographic data, data on symptoms of insomnia, depression, anxiety and information on concomitant diseases such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, heart failure, dyslipidemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Hashimoto’s disease and smoking cigarettes Chronic diseases included in this study showed a strong correlation between Hashimoto’s disease and increase scores according to the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI, r = 0 797, p <0 001), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7, r = 0 766, p <0 001) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9, r = 0 767, p <0 001) After the results were corrected for age, gender, diagnosed hypertension, dyslipidemia and cigarette smoking, it was confirmed that the diagnosis of Hashimoto’s disease was associated with an increased risk of anxiety (odds ratio (OR) = 2 225;p <0 001), depression (OR = 2 518;p <0 001) and insomnia (OR = 3 530;p <0 001) Our study showed that during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic patients with Hashimoto’s disease show a higher risk of insomnia, anxiety and depression","Wankowicz, Pawel, Szylinska, Aleksandra, Rotter, Iwona","https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10061206","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Journal of Clinical Medicine;10(6):1206, 2021.; Publication details: Journal of Clinical Medicine;10(6):1206, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12161,""
"The Impact of Social Isolation during the COVID-19 Pandemic on Physical and Mental Health: The Lived Experience of Adolescents with Obesity and Their Caregivers","Adolescence is a complex developmental phase, made more complex by obesity and the social isolation imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic The literature related to the impact of social isolation on obesity self-management in adolescents is scant and inconsistent This paper describes the phenomenon from the perspectives of a sample of adolescents with obesity enrolled in an inpatients’ multidisciplinary rehabilitation program for weight-loss and their caregivers, and its impact on different life domains Individual semi-structured ad hoc interviews were conducted with 10 adolescent-caregiver dyads, and narratives were qualitatively investigated using an interpretative phenomenology approach to data Twenty participants took part in the study The major themes that emerged from this study fall into five basic categories: (1) COVID-19 as an opportunity to reconsider what makes a good life;(2) Persistence in life;(3) Empowering relationship;(4) Daily routine in quarantine;(5) Lives on hold Understandings drawn from this study may assist health care professionals in providing holistic support, and guidance to adolescents with weight-related issues and their caregivers who experience social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic","Pietrabissa, Giada, Volpi, Clarissa, Bottacchi, Michela, Bertuzzi, Vanessa, Usubini, Anna Guerrini, Löffler-Stastka, Henriette, Prevendar, Tamara, Rapelli, Giada, Cattivelli, Roberto, Castelnuovo, Gianluca, Molinari, Enrico, Sartorio, Alessandro","https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18063026","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health;18(6):3026, 2021.; Publication details: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health;18(6):3026, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12162,""
"Assessing the Psychological Impacts of COVID-19 in Undergraduate Medical Students","Medical education has been uniquely affected by the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) As the pandemic’s psychological impacts on medical students remain unclear, this study assessed COVID-19’s impacts on undergraduate medical students’ stress and anxiety A nationwide, online survey was administered via email chains between June-August 2020 to first-fourth year medical students in the United States Demographics, 4-point Perceived Stress Scale that measures stress, 7-point Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale that measures anxiety, and the impacts of social, health, and academic stressors due to COVID-19 were collected Of the 852 students who participated, 66 1% experienced mild, moderate, or severe anxiety Mean PSS-4 score was 7 25/16 Stress was highest in second- through fourth-year students Students with preexisting mental health conditions had significantly higher stress and anxiety scores, and higher percentage of stress attributed to COVID-19 Trust in government institutions during COVID-19 was the highest stressor in first- and second-year students Delay/availability of standardized exams was the highest stressor for third-year students Impact on rotations/residencies was the highest stressor for fourth-year students Understanding how students’ anxiety and stress have changed due to COVID-19 will allow educators to identify students in need and guide recommendations on the implementation of psychological interventions and support strategies","Guo, Alyssa A.; Crum, Marissa A.; Fowler, Lauren A.","https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18062952","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health;18(6):2952, 2021.; Publication details: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health;18(6):2952, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12163,""
"Quality of Life in Brain Tumor Patients and Their Relatives Heavily Depends on Social Support Factors during the COVID-19 Pandemic","The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and restrictions on everyday life worldwide This may be especially challenging for brain tumor patients given increased vulnerability due to their pre-existing condition Here, we aimed to investigate the quality of life (QoL) in brain tumor patients and relatives in this setting Over twelve weeks during the first wave of the pandemic (04–07/2020), brain tumor patients and their families from two large German tertiary care centers were asked to complete weekly questionnaires for anxiety, depression, distress, and well-being Information regarding social support and living conditions was also collected One hundred participants (63 patients, 37 relatives) completed 729 questionnaires over the course of the study Compared to relatives, patients showed more depressive symptoms (p <0 001) and reduced well-being (p = 0 013) While acceptance of lockdown measures decreased over time, QoL remained stable QoL measures between patients and their families were weakly or moderately correlated The number of social contacts was strongly associated with QoL Age, living conditions, ongoing therapy, employment, and physical activity were other predictors QoL is correlated between patients and their families and heavily depends on social support factors, indicating the need to focus on the entire family and their social situation for QoL interventions during the pandemic","Troschel, Fabian M.; Ahndorf, Franziska, Wille, Lisa-Marie, Brandt, Ralf, Jost, Johanna, Rekowski, Sylvia, Eich, Hans Theodor, Stummer, Walter, Wiewrodt, Rainer, Jetschke, Kathleen, Wiewrodt, Dorothee","https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13061276","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Cancers;13(6):1276, 2021.; Publication details: Cancers;13(6):1276, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12164,""
"Breastfeeding during COVID-19: A Narrative Review of the Psychological Impact on Mothers","The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the normal course of life, with measures to reduce the virus spread impacting motherhood expectations and, in particular, breastfeeding practices This study aimed to review evidence regarding the impact of COVID-19 on breastfeeding plans and how these relate to women’s psychological outcomes Searches were conducted on PubMed and Web of Science for studies in English, Spanish, and Portuguese between January 2020 and January 2021 All study designs and pre-prints were considered Twelve studies were included Reports suggest that COVID-19 impacts differently on breastfeeding plans, which in turn leads to distinctive mental health outcomes Positive breastfeeding experiences have been observed when mothers perceive that they have more time for motherhood, which may be associated with better mental health outcomes Negative breastfeeding experiences have been observed when mothers are separated from their newborns, when mothers struggle with breastfeeding, or when mothers perceive decreased family and professional support, which seems to be associated with worse mental health outcomes These preliminary results highlight the need for further research into the association between COVID-19, breastfeeding expectations, and maternal mental health Filling this gap will foster the development of guidelines and interventions to better support mothers experiencing the obstacles of COVID-19 pandemic","Pacheco, Francisca, Sobral, Mónica, Guiomar, Raquel, de la Torre-Luque, Alejandro, Caparros-Gonzalez, Rafael A.; Ganho-Ãvila, Ana","https://doi.org/10.3390/bs11030034","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Behavioral Sciences;11(3):34, 2021.; Publication details: Behavioral Sciences;11(3):34, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12165,""
"Impact of Covid-19 on clinical care and lived experience of systemic sclerosis: An international survey from EURORDIS-Rare Diseases Europe","Introduction:Outcomes related to Covid-19 in systemic sclerosis patients could be influenced by internal organ involvement and/or immunosuppressive treatment, leading to efforts to shield patients from Covid-19 transmission We examined the impact of Covid-19 on the lived experience of systemic sclerosis with regards to other aspects of daily living including occupation and emotional well-being Method:Individuals with systemic sclerosis or relatives/carers participated in an online survey, disseminated through international patient associations and social media pages, designed to examine the impact of Covid-19 on living with a rare disease Results:Responses from 121 individuals (98% were patients with systemic sclerosis) from 14 countries were evaluable Covid-19 was considered a probable/definite personal threat (93%) or threat for the individual they care for (100%) Approximately two-thirds of responders reported either cancellation or postponement/delay to appointments, diagnostic tests, medical therapies at home (e g infusions), surgery or transplant, psychiatry follow-up or rehabilitation services Twenty-six percent reported at least one systemic sclerosis medicine/treatment had been unavailable, and 6% had to either stop taking usual medications or use an alternative Most reported online consultations/telemedicine via phone (88%) and online (96%) as being ?fairly? or ?very? useful Respondents reported tensions among family members (45%) and difficulty overcoming problems (48%) Restrictions on movement left around two-thirds feeling isolated (61%), unhappy and/or depressed (64%), although the majority (85%) reported a strengthening of the family unit Conclusion:Covid-19 has resulted in significant impact on the clinical-care and emotional well-being of systemic sclerosis patients Changes to clinical care delivery have been well-received by patients including telemedicine consultations","Hughes, Michael, Pauling, John D.; Moore, Andrew, Jones, Jennifer","https://doi.org/10.1177/2397198321999927","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Journal of Scleroderma and Related Disorders;: 2397198321999927, 2021.; Publication details: Journal of Scleroderma and Related Disorders;: 2397198321999927, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12166,""
"Physical Distancing and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Factors Associated With Psychological Symptoms and Adherence to Pandemic Mitigation Strategies","In this epidemiological investigation, we assessed the prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic A total of 10,061 adults participated in the study Symptoms of depression and anxiety were 2 to 3 times higher compared with prepandemic samples Participants who predominantly socially distanced themselves revealed substantially higher symptoms than their counterparts Females, ethnic and sexual-orientation minorities, younger adults, unemployed individuals, and participants with a psychiatric diagnosis reported higher prevalence of psychological symptoms Worry about prolonged duration of physical-distancing protocols and frustration of autonomy was associated with elevation in symptoms of depression and anxiety Increased competence to deal with the pandemic crisis was associated with fewer adverse symptoms Physical exercise, experiencing nature, and distraction with activities were associated with reduced depressive symptoms but not anxiety The extent of information access about the pandemic was associated with reduced anxiety symptoms Furthermore, adherence to mitigation protocols was investigated Younger adults and males reported lowest adherence Altruistic attitudes, in addition to mandatory as opposed to voluntary adherence, were associated with higher adherence rates Worrying about the health of significant others was associated with higher adherence rates, whereas worry about duration of pandemic protocols was associated with lower adherence rates","Ebrahimi, Omid V.; Hoffart, Asle, Johnson, Sverre Urnes","https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702621994545","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Clinical Psychological Science;: 2167702621994545, 2021.; Publication details: Clinical Psychological Science;: 2167702621994545, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12167,""
"Increase in Suicidal Thinking During COVID-19","There is concern that the COVID-19 pandemic may cause increased risk of suicide In the current study, we tested whether suicidal thinking has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether such thinking was predicted by increased feelings of social isolation In a sample of 55 individuals recently hospitalized for suicidal thinking or behaviors and participating in a 6-month intensive longitudinal smartphone monitoring study, we examined suicidal thinking and isolation before and after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a national emergency in the United States We found that suicidal thinking increased significantly among adults (odds ratio [OR] = 4 01, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [3 28, 4 90], p < 001) but not adolescents (OR = 0 84, 95% CI = [0 69, 1 01], p = 07) during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic Increased feelings of isolation predicted suicidal thinking during the pandemic phase Given the importance of social distancing policies, these findings support the need for digital outreach and treatment","Fortgang, Rebecca G.; Wang, Shirley B.; Millner, Alexander J.; Reid-Russell, Azure, Beukenhorst, Anna L.; Kleiman, Evan M.; Bentley, Kate H.; Zuromski, Kelly L.; Al-Suwaidi, Maha, Bird, Suzanne A.; Buonopane, Ralph, DeMarco, Dylan, Haim, Adam, Joyce, Victoria W.; Kastman, Erik K.; Kilbury, Erin, Lee, Hye-In S.; Mair, Patrick, Nash, Carol C.; Onnela, Jukka-Pekka, Smoller, Jordan W.; Nock, Matthew K.","https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702621993857","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Clinical Psychological Science;: 2167702621993857, 2021.; Publication details: Clinical Psychological Science;: 2167702621993857, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12168,""
"COVID-19 Pandemic: Inflicted Costs and Some Emerging Global Issues","The new coronavirus or COVID-19 that spread from China in early 2020 has become a global pandemic, infecting and killing millions worldwide Besides the human cost, the economic and social costs of COVID-19 are turning out to be enormous to most of the societies on the planet The lingering of the disease has raised concerns related to various economic and strategic issues that are likely to affect the global order per se profoundly This article discusses the possibility of a worldwide economic recession or depression The analysis indicates that the world may see more effort to reduce the overdependence on China for the functioning of a global supply chain and an attempt to revert globalization and reshape the industrialization policy It finds the possibility of a tussle between a resurgent China?s state-centric national and global governance model versus the West-led rule-based global order where democracy and capitalism form the core The article argues that various emergent developments will bring an increased focus on China Indeed, all these changes have managerial implications as well The article has followed a qualitative approach that collects and analyses data by the grounded theory research strategy to develop and explain those emerging global issues, both economic and strategic, of short- to long-term durability","Barai, Munim K.; Dhar, Saikat","https://doi.org/10.1177/0972150921991499","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Global Business Review;: 0972150921991499, 2021.; Publication details: Global Business Review;: 0972150921991499, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12169,""
"4CPS-384 Potential drug related problems in the time of COVID-19","4CPS-384 Table 1PRM Wrong dosage Overdose 90 (22 9) Underdose 38 (9 7) Out of protocol 78(19 8) Interactions Adverse event potentiation 34 (8 7) Induction/inhibition 15 (3 8) Bioavailability alteration 12 (3 1) Prescription error by incorrect use of CPOE 41 (16 1) Renal impairment 25 (6 4) Indication Inexistent drug 16 (4 1) Unnecessary drug 9 (2 3) Other 35 (8 9) Recommendation Acceptance rate Accepted 284 (72 2) Non-accepted 60 (15 2) Non-evaluable 49 (12 5) Drug involved P Hydroxychloroquine 90 (22 9) J Ceftriaxone 65 (16 5) Azithromycin 27 (6 9) Lopinavir/ritonavir 6 (1 5) Dolutegravir 1 (0 02) Other 14 (3 6) A Calcifediol 34 (8 6) Vitamin B 2 (0 5) Saccharomyces boulardii 9 (2 3) Calcium carbonate 4 (1 0) Potassium 4 (1 0) H Dexamethasone 25 (6 4) Methylprednisolone 4 (1 0) B Enoxaparin 15 (3 8) AAS 2 (0 05) Apixaban 2 (0 05) Acenocumarol 1 (0 02) R Respiratory system 13 (3 3) C Lipid modifying agents 10 (2 5) Diuretics 7 (1 8) N Psychoanaleptics 7 (1 8) V Various 8 (2 0) Other 43 (10 9) Conclusion and relevanceAlmost 25% of all patients had a DRP, presenting an incidence of 1 4 DRP/patient, higher than reported in previous series 83% of evaluable recommendations were accepted One- third of the recommendations were derived from a wrong dosage, and 15% from drug interactions Hydroxychloroquine was the most frequently involved drug, probably because of the limited experience and wide spectrum of interactions, followed by antimicrobials such as ceftriaxone and azithromycin, used widely in respiratory tract infections References and/or acknowledgementsConflict of interestNo conflict of interest","Barceló-Vidal, J.; Carballo, N.; Antonio-Cuscó, M. De, Fernández-Sala, X.; EcheverrÃa-Esnal, D.; AcÃn, P.; López-Mula, C.; Comella-Anaya, L.; González-Colominas, E.; Luque, S.; Ferrández, O.","https://doi.org/10.1136/ejhpharm-2021-eahpconf.216","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy. Science and Practice;28(Suppl 1):A105-A106, 2021.; Publication details: European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy. Science and Practice;28(Suppl 1):A105-A106, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12170,""
"An efficient way to assess the effect of COVID-19 on mental health in the general population","","Salanti, Georgia, Cipriani, Andrea, Furukawa, Toshi A.; Peter, Natalie, Tonia, Thomy, Papakonstantinou, Theodoros, Holloway, Alexander, Leucht, Stefan","https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(21)00067-5","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The Lancet Psychiatry;2021.; Publication details: The Lancet Psychiatry;2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12171,""
"COVID-19 Pandemic: Is teenagers’ health in crisis? An investigation into the effects of COVID-19 on self-reported mental and physical health of teenagers in secondary education","Objectives To evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on the self-reported perception of physical and mental health, in a cohort of teenagers To assess the extent to which these effects are perceived as detrimental Non-directional Hypothesis - the perception of physical and mental health will change over the duration of the eight weeks, due to the effects of the lockdown, as a result of COVID-19 Design This was a prospective longitudinal study evaluating the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK over the eight week period, against the political timeline during which the study was conducted (08/04/2020 - 04/06/2020) Setting Participants were all in secondary education, ranging from years 10-13 (ages 15-18) Participants 55 volunteers have taken part in the study, the group of participants was mixed-sex and of different ethnic groups Participants were chosen via an opportunity sampling method All participants stem from a middle to high socioeconomic background The target demographic of the study was teenagers in secondary education, so participants have been selected from a volunteer sample that is representative of this population Main outcome measures Physical health and Mental health Results Data obtained was synchronised with the political timeline over the eight week period, in order to provide specific interpretations for the findings of the study Measures of physical health: Sleep with a median length of eight hours in comparison to seven before lockdown (SD between 1 236 and 1 835);70 00% of participants experienced a decline in their physical health;Productivity amongst participants slightly decreased (76 70% to 62 90%) The measures of mental health: Length of screen time, with a median length of six hours in comparison to four before lockdown (SD between 1 48 and 3 3), however, it remained stagnant over the study period and participants did not experience a further increase;The number of hours spent on social media also increased, with an increasing number of participants spending over four hours on social media;Conflicts increased in their family environment (from 25 60% to 37 10% of participants reporting more conflicts) During virtual school, conflict was at its lowest point (18 40%) and harmony in the family environment was at its highest peak (65 80%) 51 00% of participants relayed a decline in their mental health A statistically significant correlation was found between exercise and creativity, both of which decreased over the study period (rs = 0 42 is bigger than the critical value = 0 22 when p = 0 05) Conclusions Despite certain positive effects, the overall impact of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic has been negative, regarding both physical and mental health, for this cohort of young people","Jester, Noemi, Kang, Premjeet","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhip.2021.100099","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Public Health in Practice;: 100099, 2021.; Publication details: Public Health in Practice;: 100099, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12172,""
"A “Mental Health PPE†Model of Proactive Mental Health Support for Frontline Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic","We summarize in this article the development, roll out, and preliminary outcomes of a large-scale proactive mental health support model for frontline healthcare workers during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically during New York City's initial case surge in March through June of 2020 This paper summarizes the program design and output for two types of dedicated teams of behavioral health clinicians: 1) Mental Health Liaisons, who provided preventative support to COVID-19 hospital units and Emergency Departments, and 2) Mental Health Crisis Response Teams, who staffed 24/7 crisis response lines to support and mitigate staff crises as needed In addition to the specifics of this model, we discuss the strategies, rewards, and difficulties of rapidly staging and evaluating such a model in the context of an ongoing disaster situation We also offer recommendations for how this multi-dimensional model may be replicated in other settings","Gray, Madeline, Monti, Kristina, Katz, Craig, Klipstein, Kim, Lim, Sabina","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113878","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Psychiatry Research;: 113878, 2021.; Publication details: Psychiatry Research;: 113878, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12173,""
"Consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on admissions to general hospital psychiatric wards in Italy: Reduced psychiatric hospitalizations and increased suicidality","Aims The present investigation aimed at evaluating differences in psychiatric hospitalizations in Italy during and after the lockdown due to the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), compared to the same periods in 2018 and 2019 Methods We obtained and analyzed anonymized data on psychiatric admissions (n = 4550) from 12 general hospital psychiatric wards (GHPWs) in different Italian regions (catchment area = 3 71 millions of inhabitants) Using a mixed-effects Poisson regression model, we compared admission characteristics across three periods: (a) March 1–June 30, 2018 and 2019;(b) March 1–April 30, 2020 (i e , lockdown);and (c) May 1–June 30, 2020 (i e , post-lockdown) Results During the COVID-19 lockdown, there was a 41% reduction (IRR = 0 59;p 65 years) was observed in the lockdown (40%;IRR = 0 60;95% CI: 0 44–0 82) and post-lockdown (28%;IRR = 0 72;95% CI: 0 54–0 96) periods Long-stay admissions (>14 days) increased (63%;IRR = 1 63;95% CI: 1 32–2 02) during the lockdown and decreased by 39% thereafter (IRR = 0 61;95% CI: 0 49–0 75) A significant 35% increase in patients reporting suicidal ideation was observed in the post-lockdown period, compared to the rate observed in the 2018 and 2019 control period (IRR = 1 35;95% CI: 1 01–1 79) Conclusion The COVID-19 lockdown was associated with changes in the number of psychiatric admissions, particularly for older patients and long-stay hospitalizations Increased admission of patients reporting suicidal ideation in the post-lockdown period merits special attention Further studies are required to gain insight into the observed phenomena","Boldrini, Tommaso, Girardi, Paolo, Clerici, Massimo, Conca, Andreas, Creati, Chiara, Di Cicilia, Giuseppe, Ducci, Giuseppe, Durbano, Federico, Maci, Carlo, Maone, Antonio, Nicolò, Giuseppe, Oasi, Osmano, Percudani, Mauro, Polselli, Gian Marco, Pompili, Maurizio, Rossi, Alessandro, Salcuni, Silvia, Tarallo, Federica, Vita, Antonio, Lingiardi, Vittorio","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2021.110304","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry;: 110304, 2021.; Publication details: Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry;: 110304, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12174,""
"Gender differences in mental health problems of healthcare workers during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak","The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has imposed both physical and psychological burdens on healthcare workers (HCWs) What is more, few studies have focused on the gender differences in mental health problems (MHPs) among HCWs during such an outbreak Thus, the current study investigated the prevalence and gender differences of various MHPs among HCWs in China during the COVID-19 outbreak This nationwide survey was conducted online from January 29 to February 3, 2020 General information was collected by questions about socio-demographics, work-related factors, and living situations Depressive, anxiety, stress, and insomnia symptoms were assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, and the Insomnia Severity Index, respectively Among the 2,198 contacted HCWs, 1,563 (71 1%) responded with valid data, of whom 1,293 (82 7%) were females The prevalences of depressive, anxiety, stress, and insomnia symptoms in participants were 50 7%, 44 7%, 52 5%, and 36 1%, respectively Female HCWs had significantly higher scores in all four scales (p <0 001) and higher prevalences in all MHPs involved (range, odds ratio [OR] 1 55–1 97) After adjusting for potential confounders, female HCWs still had higher risks for all MHPs involved than males (range, adjusted OR 1 36–1 96) HCWs present high prevalences of depressive, anxiety, stress, and insomnia symptoms during the COVID-19 outbreak Furthermore, female HCWs are more vulnerable to all MHPs involved These findings highlight the need for timely, special care and support for HCWs during the outbreak, especially for females","Liu, Shuai, Yang, Lulu, Zhang, Chenxi, Xu, Yan, Cai, Lidan, Ma, Simeng, Wang, Ying, Cai, Zhongxiang, Du, Hui, Li, Ruiting, Kang, Lijun, Zheng, Huirong, Liu, Zhongchun, Zhang, Bin","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.03.014","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Journal of Psychiatric Research;2021.; Publication details: Journal of Psychiatric Research;2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12175,""
"""You Can't Stop the Waves but You Can Learn to Surf"": Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for People with Parkinson's Disease","Introduction Non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) are common and may lead to increased disability and functional impairment Over half of people with PD experience anxiety and/or depression Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to alleviate physical and psychological symptoms of cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic pain, anxiety, and depressive disorders Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a manualized intervention conducted in 8-week group sessions, along with participant independent daily practice MBCT combines mindfulness practice with cognitive therapy principles and has been shown to prevent the relapse of recurrent depression and improve anxiety MBCT has been studied in patients with neurological diseases, including PD, albeit not extensively In this pilot study, we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of MBCT in reducing anxiety and/or depression in people with PD Methods A modified MBCT intervention was designed and offered to participants with PD and mild-moderate anxiety and/or depressive symptoms from the San Francisco Bay Area IRB approval was obtained Participants were recruited from local neurology clinics and through PD support groups Two 8-week long MBCT groups were conducted, using a protocol adapted to the specific needs of people with PD Participant demographic variables, prior experience with mindfulness, and pre- and post-intervention behavioral measures were collected (GAD-7, PHQ-9, and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-15 - FFMQ-15) A participant satisfaction survey was administered after the completion of the MBCT course Descriptive analytics were used to analyze demographic and clinical variables and participant satisfaction survey responses To make use of all available data, PHQ-9, GAD-7, and FFMQ scores pre- and post-intervention were compared using mixed-effects models implemented with PROC MIXED in SAS Version 9 4 This approach accounted for the correlated structure of the data due to repeated measures, allowed for missing data, and accommodated heterogeneous variances across assessment times Results Of the 16 participants enrolled (8 per group), 15 completed the MBCT intervention (1 participant withdrew) Participants attended on average 7 of the 8 sessions The statistical analysis revealed: • Significant reduction in PHQ-9 score post-intervention, compared to pre-intervention (p < 0 05) • Reduction in GAD-7 mean score post-intervention, compared to pre-intervention • Significant increase in FFMQ mean score post-intervention, compared to pre-intervention (p < 0 01) • 12 (80%) participants were very satisfied, 2 (13 3%) were satisfied, and 1 (6 7%) was dissatisfied with the overall MBCT course • 14 (93 3%) participants planned to continue to practice mindfulness after completing the course, and 14 (93 3%) would recommend this intervention to family members or friends with PD Tables 1-2 present the results Table 1 Participant characteristics Table 2 Behavioral measure scores, pre- and post-intervention Conclusions At the completion of an 8-week modified MBCT course for people with PD, there was significant reduction in depressive symptoms This pilot study shows that this is a feasible intervention for this population, met with high participant satisfaction Discussion: COVID-19 pandemic started during the second MBCT group Participants commented that this had increased their anxiety, which likely affected post-intervention GAD-7 scores in that group The last 2 sessions were modified for online delivery, showing the versatility of this approach Further research is needed to explore the effectiveness of MBCT in reducing anxiety and/or depressive symptoms in people with PD Funding The Parkinson's Foundation","Seritan, Andreea, Iosif, Ana-Maria, Wang, Sarah, Dodge, Michael, Eisendrath, Stuart","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.128","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S132-S134, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S132-S134, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12176,""
"Friendly Calls to Seniors: an Interprofessional Student Volunteer Program","Introduction Older adults compose a segment of the population who are especially vulnerable to loneliness and isolation and have been disproportionately impacted by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic [1],[2],[3],[4] Evidence shows traditional social support programs enhance their health and well-being;the current pandemic provides an opportunity to understand the potential benefits of virtual social support [5],[6] Friendly Calls to Seniors (FCS) is an interprofessional student volunteer program that is part of Columbia University's COVID-19 Student Service Corps (CSSC), founded at the outset of the pandemic Utilizing a script developed by student leaders and faculty advisors from Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC), volunteers regularly call older adults with underlying mental health conditions The calls provide social support and opportunities to identify and refer health concerns to care providers, thereby addressing both medical and social needs this group faces, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic Methods FCS is a phone call-based social support program in which student volunteers provide companionship and conduct health risk assessments for interested clients, who are older adults with underlying psychiatric conditions referred by clinical providers in the Washington Heights region of Manhattan Student volunteers are on-boarded, HIPAA-trained, and supervised by two student leaders, as well as two faculty members of CUIMC, a geriatric psychiatrist and an occupational therapist Volunteers use a HIPAA-compliant platform to securely call clients, using a translator if necessary Calls are conducted using a script, which includes a suggested introduction, sample conversational topics, and a risk assessment for health and functioning that incorporates psychiatric and occupational considerations The script also includes an escalation flowchart to refer client issues to the attention of the faculty supervisors to be connected with social workers, medical professionals, or community resources Calls are tracked through secure survey forms and project metrics are tabulated weekly The volunteer team convenes in weekly Zoom meetings to review volunteer-client interactions and pose questions that may have arisen The project has integrated educational workshops from other organizations such as Columbia's Narrative Medicine Program The student and faculty leadership also collaborates with community-based organizations and naturally occurring retirement communities (NORCs) in the Washington Heights region Results At the time of writing, a total of 400 calls have been made by FCS student volunteers to 72 unique clients, ranging in age from 61 to 96 Of these, 38 are English-speaking and 34 are Spanish speaking;49 clients elected to continue receiving calls All clients have existing mental and physical health conditions, including depression, anxiety, neurocognitive disorders, bipolar disorder, and PTSD Medical comorbidities, which were highly prevalent, existing in 45% of clients, included diabetes mellitus and hypertension In total, 48 escalations have been made since the start of the program Table 1 displays a breakdown of the escalation reasons: There have been 41 total volunteers since the program's inception, of whom 18 are currently active The volunteers represent a wide range of health professions and undergraduate programs at Columbia, as seen in Table 2 Qualitative volunteer feedback about FCS was obtained through call log responses and reflection sessions Volunteers cited increased knowledge of community resources and improved skills in relationship-building and addressing geriatric-specific concerns, such as discussing mental health concerns in an age-attuned and culturally sensitive manner Additional skills gained included the ability to properly coordinate with an interpreter and communicate across language barriers;many students had never worked with an interpreter prior to being a part of FCS Conclusions The FCS program exhibits promising qualitative results supporting vulnerable older adults Using a script with a systematic risk assessment, volunteers have performed regular outreach to seniors and referred them to appropriate social services and/or healthcare professionals as needed Clients and the FCS team have mutually benefited from the interprofessional perspectives informing this program, which have led to improved understanding of professional roles, available community resources, and opportunities for comprehensive care Looking ahead, FCS will continue to be relevant as the COVID-19 pandemic draws on and many seniors remain socially isolated The team will develop quantitative outcome metrics to better understand the impact of its work The interprofessional, community-based education model, exemplified by the FCS interprofessional project, will be developed as a generalizable model for ensuring quality of care and best practice Funding none","Nathanson, Mark, Rau, Sonalee, Jiang, Enoch, Phyllis, Simon","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.126","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S130-S132, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S130-S132, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12177,""
"The Older Adult Pandemic Inventory: Preliminary Findings from an Outpatient Geriatric Psychiatry Clinic","Introduction Older<U+204E>Rachel Zack Ishikawa and Jennifer Gatchel are joint co-authors adults are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 They are more likely than younger adults to be hospitalized with the illness and more likely to die from it, with 8 out of 10 deaths due to COVID-19 occurring among adults aged 65+ 1 Patients with psychiatric disorders have also been particularly impacted, with higher levels of anxiety, depression, stress, anger, insomnia and suicidal ideation, compared with those without psychiatric disorders 2 Understanding specific pandemic-related concerns of older adults with psychiatric comorbidity is essential to providing appropriate treatment and to preventing illness onset or exacerbation in this vulnerable population Methods The study involved design and administration of a brief survey, the Older Adult Pandemic Inventory (OAPI), to patients aged 60 years and above in the outpatient psychiatry clinic of a large urban general hospital The OAPI was developed by geriatric psychiatry outpatient clinicians, and additional input was provided by the hospital's Quality Improvement (QI) committee The OAPI consisted of 6 question domains related to pandemic-related challenges and unmet needs around mental health, physical health, psychosocial and financial well-being, as well as positive changes (e g , growth, coping, self-efficacy) Clinicians administered the survey to patients on a rolling basis during telehealth visits in October and November 2020 and entered responses using the REDCap online survey data collection platform Results Survey data were collected from thirty patients between October and November 2020 67% of patients were female, and 96% identified as non-Hispanic white, with a mean age of 75 years (Range: 60-78y) Primary diagnostic classes included depressive (60%) and anxiety disorders (57%);co-morbidity/multiple diagnoses were permitted The majority of respondents endorsed at least one pandemic-related challenge in each category The most common mental health or emotional challenges were anxiety (93%), depression (77%), uncertainty about the trajectory of the pandemic (70%) and boredom (67%) The most common physical health challenge was difficulty maintaining physical activity (62%) Problems related to psychosocial well-being included discomfort seeing others who are unmasked (73%) and feeling unsafe in places of business (53%) 61% of participants denied financial challenges 69% identified access to friends and family as their primary unmet need 67% of participants reported that the pandemic has brought positive changes, including improved coping ability, increased comfort with technology, and spiritual growth Clinicians reported that the time required to administer the survey (~10 minutes) was a major barrier to asking the questions, given limited visit encounter times Conclusions Older adult patients in a general outpatient psychiatric clinic reported pandemic-related challenges in mental and physical health and social well-being as well as unmet needs on the OAPI survey The most prominent themes centered on anxiety, uncertainty, challenges maintaining physical activity and social connection, and feeling uncomfortable with mitigation behaviors of others A majority of respondents also endorsed positive changes resulting from the pandemic Ongoing development and revision and broader administration of the OAPI to diverse populations will clarify the specific concerns and needs of older psychiatric patients during the pandemic Alternative approaches for administering the survey, including options for online patient self-administration, are currently being explored Funding Not applicable","Zack Ishikawa, Rachel, Gatchel, Jennifer, Rowlett, Susan M.; Davidow, Jennie, Kwon, Anne E.; Ahn, Joseph, Cremens, Cornelia M.; Dayanand, Tapsi, Han, Hyemee, Zurek, Olivia, Moskowitz, Barbara E.; Marouf, Feyza, Weiner, Anthony, Okereke, Olivia","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.122","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S126-S127, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S126-S127, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12178,""
"A Rapid Review of the Detrimental Impact of Loneliness and Social Isolation in Caregivers of Older Adults","Introduction Loneliness is an important concern that negatively impacts individuals aged 60 and older and is seen in 43 percent of Americans within that age group (Donovan & Blazer, 2020;Gerst-Emerson & Jayawardhana, 2015) On the other hand, around 7 7 million people in the United States (US) aged 65 and older reported experiencing social isolation while severe isolation could be seen among 1 3 million people (Donovan & Blazer, 2020) Loneliness and social isolation are well-documented risk factors for poor mental and physical health in late life To handle these issues, and other aging related challenges, elders often rely on their family for support In fact, an estimated 41 million Americans are providing informal family caregiving However, this comes at a cost as informal family caregiving for older adults has been found to detrimentally impact mental and physical health Many caregivers are under the stress of tending to their loved ones as well as handling other responsibilities in their lives Therefore, it is imperative to evaluate the effects of loneliness not only among older adults, but also among caregivers Although, caregiver burden has been linked to loneliness to date, no systematic review has explored this link As such the current review seeks to explore the harmful impact associated with loneliness and social isolation among caregivers of older adults in an effort to increase awareness and understanding Methods For this rapid review, source documents were identified through a computerized search using APA PsycInfo and Google Scholar bibliographical databases covering the years 2000 to 2020 The following keywords and combinations of these were used: “caregiving,†“caregiver,†“older adults,†“loneliness,†“social isolation,†and “health effects †Relevant exclusion criteria were applied (i e children and young adults) and all English-language journal articles relating to the area of study were read Results After a comprehensive review, 12 articles met the inclusion criteria Loneliness was associated with worse physical health, less physical activity, increased health visits, and social isolation as indicated by three articles in our review Three articles discussed the influences and factors related to loneliness and social isolation while one article also assessed health behaviors in relation to loneliness and social isolation Additionally, higher levels of loneliness were associated with older age, female gender, being unmarried, low socioeconomic status, and holding an ethnic minority identity A total of five articles evaluated the impact of loneliness on either physical or psychological health or both Within informal caregivers, loneliness was linked to decreased and dissatisfaction with social interactions, helplessness, and changes in usual routines or in the health status of their loved ones Caregivers also experience increased stress and depressive/anxious symptoms and decreased subjective well-being and self-efficacy Loneliness is considered to be the most central aspect in predicting low quality of life within caregivers Conclusions Loneliness and social isolation are important matters to assess in older adults and caregivers due to their harmful impact on both physical and psychological wellbeing The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has drastically changed the daily routine for individuals across the world Vulnerable individuals, such as older adults and those with weakened immune systems and chronic conditions, are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 The US and government health agencies have implemented recommendations for social distancing However, the relationship between the social isolation of older adults and their self-reported experiences of loneliness leads researchers to worry that the impact of social distancing is exacerbating these older adults’ experiences of loneliness Although measures of social distancing are necessary to decrease risks of COVID-19 infection, it is critical to assess the current effects among older adults and their caregivers Furthermore, additional research must be conducted in reference to the effects of loneliness among caregivers and on the consequences of loneliness in older adults as the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine period continues In order to implement possible interventions and better mitigate the rising rates of loneliness experienced by older adults and their caregivers, this topic needs to be thoroughly explored so the associated health consequences can be better understood and prepared for Funding Not applicable","Perez, Sophia G.; Nuccio, Alexandria G.; Stripling, Ashley M.","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.117","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S122-S123, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S122-S123, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12179,""
"A descriptive Study Evaluating the Impact of COVID-19 on Delivery of Care and Mental Health of Geriatric Nursing Home Staff","Introduction COVID-19 has had an unprecedented global impact on public health and socio-economic matters The magnitude of COVID-19 has undoubtedly affected every aspect of daily life and highlighted the need for increased preparedness, coordination, and monitoring Amongst all social groups, the elderly is by far the most affected age group in morbidity and mortality [1] Approximately 1 3 million individuals live in 15,600 nursing home facilities in the United States [2] In fact, the beginning of COVID-19 may be marked by the 25 deaths in a single King County facility in Washington state Nursing homes have faced the rapid spread of COVID-19 among residents and staff and have been at the center of the public health emergency during the pandemic Factors that contribute to this rapid spread include crowding, sharing of bathroom facilities, and gathering in common areas that are not set up for infection control Nursing homes, in particular, provide ideal environments for devastating infections to spread Nursing homes, in particular, have essentially been in complete lockdown, not unlike inmates, who both deeply lack social interaction and are currently unable to exist outside the walls of their respective institutions Those who do not have close family or friends, and rely on the support of voluntary services or social workers, could be at additional risk [6] To lessen the chance of infection among older people in nursing homes, more local authorities are banning visitors to nursing homes and long-term care facilities Furthermore, restrictions on group activities such as playing board games, watching TV in a common space, and engaging in art therapy, may harm residents’ mental and physical well-being [8] Nursing home residents are already susceptible to loneliness, and the lack of social interaction due to decreased visitation from family and friends further compounds the traumatization of COVID-19 on daily living Methods METHODS: This is a descriptive study over a period of 1 month conducted among nursing home staff in Lubbock, TX during the COVID-19 pandemic Agreeable nursing home staff will have access to a survey (Qualtrics) accessing various aspects relating to the consequences of COVID-19 The survey will be open for a period of 1 month until which the participants will have the opportunity to complete the survey Data from the surveys will then be collected and analyzed The survey consists of a self-developed questionnaire along with the validated Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) The scale which was originally developed in 1983 by author Sheldon Cohen is one of the most widely used tools to measure the perception of stress It has been used in studies assessing the stressfulness of situations and is widely available in the public domain [12] Type of study: Descriptive mixed method triangulation design study Subjects: Healthcare staff with direct patient care Inclusion criteria: 1 Geriatric Nursing home staff in Lubbock, TX 2 Staff agreeable to participate in survey regardless of color, creed, age or sex 3 Staff in direct contact with patients (Nursing and Physicians) Exclusion criteria: 1 Ancillary staff not involved in direct patient care 2 Staff who refuse to give voluntary consent to participate in survey Design: This will be a descriptive, mixed method triangulation design studyutilizing an online, self-administered survey tool created using Qualtrics platform An information sheet explaining the research project will be given to the nursing home staff It will include: participation is completely voluntary, that participation will not affect their employment in anyway, and their employer will not have access to the results It will also explain that by submitting an anonymous survey they are agreeing to take part in the research study The survey questions will gauge mental health impact on staff and their perspectives on the impact on patients and their own mental health The survey will contain a mix of 10 close- and open-ended questions Results Outcomes: To determine the impact of COVID-19 on nursing home staff mental health and gather information that may be utilized to create measures to better deliver care in nursing homes Survey will be sent to 40 members with an expected response rate of about 20 percent and possibly higher Results will be available by March 2020 for further analysis and distribution Conclusions Ultimately, COVID-19 has taught painful lessons in the difficulties of isolating the elderly The need for controlling infection may come at a high cost to the mental health and well-being of patients and staff, which is a critical public health issue We hope that the results of this study will help us better understand the challenges geriatric nursing facilities have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and help us develop better strategies for similar threats in the future Funding No funding was obtained for the purposes of this study","Sarangi, Ashish, Nelson, Jessica","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.116","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S121-S122, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S121-S122, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12180,""
"Pilot Trial of Dronabinol Adjunctive Treatment of Agitation in Alzheimer's Disease (THC-AD)","Introduction Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease of aging (70%) Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in AD are a major cause of burden to patients, caregivers, and society and are near-universal at some point in the AD course (97%) One of the most troubling NPS is agitation (Agit-AD), typified by a variety of problem behaviors including combativeness, yelling, pacing, lack of cooperation with care, insomnia, and restlessness Neurobiological mechanisms that contribute to Agit-AD include brain atrophy, degradation of neurotransmission, neuroinflammation, disrupted circadian rhythms, comorbidities, and frailty There is a great need for better interventions that target Agit-AD, which is a major source of disease progression, patient disability, financial burden, and caregiver stress Dronabinol is synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, one of the predominant biochemical constituents of cannabis) and is FDA approved for anorexia and nausea Cannabinoids may improve Agit-AD by providing protection against neuroinflammation and excitotoxicity, regulating neurotransmitters, improving comorbidities, stabilizing circadian rhythms, and increasing cerebral blood flow This pilot trial could open the door to ""re-purposing"" dronabinol as a novel and safe treatment for Agit-AD with significant public health impact Methods THC-AD is a three-week placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized clinical trial of dronabinol (10 mg QD) in 80 patients with severe Agit-AD Capsules of dronabinol contain 2 5 mg per dose (5 mg daily) during Week 1, then increase to 5 mg per dose (10 mg daily) for Weeks 2 and 3 The half-life of dronabinol is ~4 hours, so study medication is administered BID at 08:00 and 14:00 to maximize daytime coverage for agitation and to minimize sundowning Inclusionary criteria include a diagnosis of AD, severe agitation as determined by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Clinician Rating Scale (NPI-C), and being 60-95 years old, while exclusionary criteria include serious or unstable medical illness, seizure disorder, delirium, current use of lithium, and inability to swallow a pill Primary outcomes are a change in the Pittsburgh Agitation Scale and NPI-C Agitation/Aggression subscales Secondary outcomes are measures of agitation, cognition, sleep, and global functioning as determined by the following assessments: the NPI-C, Cohen Mansfield Agitation Inventory, Clinical Global Impression of Change, Activities of Daily Living, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Severe Impairment Battery (8 item), and subjective and observer-rated drug effects Safety outcomes include monitoring for adverse events (AEs), weekly health assessments, EKG changes, incident delirium (Confusion Assessment Method), and changes in laboratory values DNA specimens are collected to explore cannabinoid receptor polymorphisms that may affect response to dronabinol Serum samples are collected to examine the association of peripheral markers of inflammation with agitation and response to dronabinol Concomitant medications are limited to currently used antipsychotics, antidepressants, and benzodiazepines, as well as anticonvulsant therapy when not used for seizure disorder PRN rescue medications include total daily doses up to 0 75 mg of lorazepam and 100 mg of trazodone Results We have enrolled 37 out of 80 participants (Table 1: mean age 78 2 years, 78 4% female, 83 8% Caucasian, mean education 13 2 years, 48 6% family history) Study participants are significantly cognitively impaired (Table 2: mean baseline MMSE of 7 1), agitated (mean NPI-C Agitation 14 8, mean NPI-C Aggression 6 4) and in reasonable overall health (Figure 1: General Medical Health Rating, 10 8% “excellent,†48 6% ""good"" and 40 5% ""fairâ€) Recorded AEs have been tolerable (Figure 2) Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we expanded our inpatient trial to include outpatient enrollments and implemented hybrid visits with telemedicine to limit in-person interactions To bolster our recruitment, we are collaborating with additional clinical sites, increasing dementia bed capacity, and deploying recruitment strategies for outpatients, including referrals from providers and other research trials, social media ads, and virtual community outreach Updated results will be presented at AAGP (estimated 6-10 additional participants) Conclusions Agitation is one of the most common behavioral manifestations of AD and is associated with greater caregiver burden and shorter time to institutionalization Current treatments for Agit-AD have a plethora of safety limitations, and there is a particularly acute need for interventions for severe Agit-AD in advanced dementia One important question for treatment development is whether Agit-AD represents a specific target for intervention or a nonspecific syndrome shared with many other diseases This clinical trial may enable us to understand if targeting the cannabinoid system will be a safe and effective approach to treat this global health concern Funding National Institute on Aging, R01AG050515","Outen, John, Rosenberg, Paul, Vandrey, Ryan, Amjad, Halima, Burhanullah, Haroon, Agronin, Marc, Castaneda, Ricardo, Isesalaya, Maria, Walsh, Patricia, Ash, Eleanor, Cohen, Leah, Wilkins, James, Harper, David, Forester, Brent","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.111","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S115-S117, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S115-S117, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12181,""
"Circadian Rhythm Disturbance in Agitation of Alzheimer's Disease","Introduction Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) affect nearly all individuals with AD Agitation in AD (Agit-AD) is one of the most common NPS, with an estimated prevalence over 40% Agit-AD is a major cause of distress and burden for AD caregivers and may be driven by disrupted circadian rhythms and sleep In healthy individuals, the circadian clock that generates these rhythms regulates patterns in mood, wakefulness, and other physiologic processes, such as body temperature and hormone levels Individuals with Agit-AD may experience disturbance in their circadian rhythms such that aggressive and disruptive behavior is increased This project aims to examine if agitated AD subjects (AgitAD+) express delayed circadian phases and reduced rhythm strength as compared to non-agitated AD subjects (AgitAD-) and healthy controls Additionally, we seek to 1) evaluate if circadian phase and rhythm strength vary between subtypes of Agit-AD (affective dysregulation vs executive dysfunction);and to 2) compare sleep amount, sleep quality, and degree of sleep disordered breathing among AgitAD+ subjects vs AgitAD- subjects and healthy controls Methods We studied 25 subjects (Table 1): 15 AgitAD+ subjects, 8 AgitAD- subjects, and 2 age-matched healthy controls (HC) Participants completed wrist actigraphy for one week to quantify rest/activity rhythms and sleep;consumed an ingestible, disposable temperature sensor for 1-2 days to quantify core body temperature, a marker of the endogenous circadian rhythm;and completed a single night of home sleep testing (HST;Table 2) Inclusion criteria were diagnosis of AD and age 55-90 years, and exclusion criteria include seizures, significant tremors, delirium, using CPAP for sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, and circadian rhythm disorders NPS were measured with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Clinician Version (NPI-C), the Cohen Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI), the Neurobehavioral Rating Scale (NBRS), and the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD) Agit-AD was defined using criteria from the International Psychogeriatric Association AgitAD+ subjects had clinically significant agitation, defined as NPI-C Agitation or Aggression subtotals = 4 Disease progression was measured using the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR), and subjects underwent a physical and neurological exam Cognition was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA), the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT), the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT), Animal Naming (AN), and the Trail-Making Test (parts A & B) Sleep questionnaires included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) Caregivers were asked to complete a sleep diary for subjects and an agitation log over the week they completed actigraphy Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we implemented hybrid visits with telemedicine to limit in-person interactions Results 25 subjects have completed the study to date There were no statistically significant differences observed in actigraphy-derived sleep parameters between agitated and non-agitated AD subjects (2-group t-test);see Table 1) However, significant differences between the groups have been observed in the rest/activity rhythms: compared to subjects without agitation (AgitAD-), AgitAD+ subjects had lower levels of activity in the morning and greater activity in the afternoon and evening (Figure 1) We also have performed function-on-scalar regression (FOSR) (Goldsmith et al , 2015, Biometrics 71:344-353) using subject-specific activity profiles as outcomes and age and agitation/control status as predictors Figure 2 shows functional effects of age on rest/activity rhythm (left panel) and the functional effect of agitation status (right panel);the red background shows times of day during which there were statistically significant differences, using the pointwise method of analysis (p<0 05) After adjustment for age, agitation was associated with lower activity in the morning period and a trend towards greater activity in the afternoon and evening period (not statistically significant) This preliminary finding may suggest that AgitAD+ subjects express lower and delayed activity rhythms Additionally, the HST results show a trend toward less REM sleep and longer initial REM latency in the AgitAD+ group (Table 2) Updated results will be presented at AAGP (estimated 6-10 additional subjects) Conclusions The collection of multimodal noninvasive data on sleep, activity, and core body temperature is feasible in agitated AD outpatients This study could provide evidence for CRD/sleep disturbance as a driver of Agit-AD and could identify Agit-AD subtypes who are most likely to benefit from chronobiotic or sleep interventions for Agit-AD Furthermore, this study could provide evidence for the use of actigraphy as a surrogate biomarker in proof-of-concept intervention studies targeting Agit-AD Funding National Institute on Aging, R01AG054771","Outen, John, Spira, Adam, Wanigatunga, Sarah, Zipunnikov, Vadim, Wu, Mark, Rosenberg, Paul","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.108","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S111-S113, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S111-S113, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12182,""
"The Double Burden of Depression and Social Isolation in Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic","Introduction We are living in a global pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) that has infected over 63 million people across the world to date Even though social-distancing is recommended as a key method of reducing risk, such measures disproportionately impact older adults (OA) whose social contacts are often outside their home Thus, it is both timely and critical to examine the impact of pandemic-related social isolation on OA's mental health Also, it is unclear whether OAs experiencing depressive symptoms have increased risk of being adversely impacted by social isolation The current ongoing study utilizes a combination of remotely conducted interviews and online questionnaires to investigate how OA's mental health has been impacted by pandemic-related social isolation We present preliminary findings from the first wave of our study We hypothesized that OAs who report higher degrees of reduced quality and frequency in social relationships and communication will be at greater risk of depression, anxiety, and loneliness Furthermore, we predicted that OAs who endorse depressive symptoms in the recent past will show a stronger association between adverse changes resulting from limited social activity and mental health Methods We recruited 143 OA participants aged 55 years or older (Mean age= 64 9, SD= 5 3, 87% female) Prospective participants were excluded for self-reported history of neurological disorders, cognitive impairment, or changes in dosage of any psychotropic medications within the past 4 weeks Otherwise, individuals with current and/or past history of depression or anxiety were included Following informed consent, participants were screened for cognitive impairment using the MoCA-mini Participants then filled out a series of questionnaires related to a self-reported diagnostic screen (SAGE-SR), current symptoms of stress (Perceived Stress Scale), depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale), anxiety (Geriatric Anxiety Scale), loneliness (UCLA-Loneliness), perceived social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support), and perceived social contribution (Social Contribution subscale of the Social Well-being scale) Moreover, we obtained participants’ self-reported appraisal regarding the magnitude of adverse impact caused by COVID-19 pandemic-related social isolation on the quality of their personal social relationships and communication frequency with their loved ones Results Overall, participants who reported greater detriment to social relationships and communication frequency also indicated higher degrees of depressive symptoms (r= 32, p< 001), and loneliness (r= 26, p< 005) Interestingly, frequency of using remote forms of communication with friends and family outside the home were inversely related to pathological mental health symptoms In other words, those who report frequently keeping in touch with loved ones outside their homes also indicated having lower symptoms of depression (r=- 18, p< 05), anxiety (r=- 18, p< 05), and loneliness (r=- 24, p< 005) Notably, household size was not predictive of the above-mentioned symptoms, but was predictive of stress, such that greater household size was associated with higher levels of stress (r= 21, p< 05) We then separately examined two groups of OAs – those who reported having experienced at least some DSM-5 depressive disorders symptoms in the past 30 days, and those who did not Self-reported magnitude of pandemic-related detriment to social behavior significantly predicted the severity of loneliness, but only in OAs who report some depressive disorder symptoms (r= 24, p< 05) Similarly, in this group, lower perceived social support significantly predicted higher stress (r=- 46, p< 0001) and lower self-reported social contribution predicted higher loneliness (r=- 33, p< 01) respectively Conclusions The preliminary data from our study suggest that greater levels of pandemic-related social isolation are associated with higher severity of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and loneliness Importantly, OAs with depressive symptoms appear to be at risk of adversely being impacted by loss of social support and absence of meaningful outlet for social contributions during prolonged social isolation Conversely, our data suggest utilizing psychosocial interventions designed to shore up social support and greater agency in social contribution may be particularly beneficial to OAs who experience depressive symptoms The correlational nature of our current data is a limitation that will be addressed by our future work gathering responses from the same group of participants who are expected to resume social activity outside the context of pandemic-related social isolation (i e , Wave 2) Our future work will also address how social isolation relates to day-to-day experience and control of emotions, which is a significant dimensional predictor of functional impairment and distress across multiple psychopathologies Funding Funding support from Special Emphasis: Emerging COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 Research seed grant awarded to J Kim, through the Immunology, Inflammation and Infectious Diseases Initiative and the Office of the Vice President for Research at the University of Utah","Kim, Joseph, Lee, Somi, Pfau, Nathan, Mitamura, Madison, Jacobson, Trace, Jeong, Gina, Germain, Jacob, Bradford, Anna, Smith, Andrew, Koppelmans, Vincent","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.105","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S108-S109, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S108-S109, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12183,""
"COVID-19 Pandemia Impact on Mental Health of Older Adults and Possible Treatment Options","Introduction During COVID-19 pandemia being in a “golden age†group, having chronic health conditions make people more susceptible to the virus The need to socially distance creates the sense of isolation, affects older adults routines, mass transportation, and some “non-essential†social services Those factors in addition to the uncertainty and fear COVID-19 creates, and the potential for older adults to be more vulnerable to the virus and higher mortality rates among older adults may exacerbate depression and anxiety for which effective and safe treatment interventions are required The goal of this retrospective chart review is to evaluate the impact of COVID pandemia on mental health and responce to treatment of the patients 65 years old and above attending virtual partial hospitalization program Methods Retrospective randomly selected chart review of 40 patients ages 65-84 year old who attended 3-4 week virtual partial hospitalization program since April 1, 2020 till October 30, 2020 The group composition: 16 males and 24 females;Caucasian – 32, Hispanic – 2, African American – 6;married – 12, widowed/divorced/single – 28 Results All of the patients identified COVID-19 pandemia as a major precipitating factor for exacerbation of their mood disorder (major depression, bipolar depression, dysthymia) and anxiety disorder (generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, anxiety disorder NOS) The patients identified the following factors that made significant negative impact: social isolation – 32 patients (80%), disruption of daily routine – 36 patients (90%), grief over the loss relatives and peers due to COVID-19 – 12 patients (30%), fear of the possibility of contracting COVID-19 – 18 patients (45%), decrease in social and PCA services in part because the fear of contacting the virus – 14 patients (35%), inability to see their health care providers in person – 12 patients (30%), challenges utilizing platforms for virtual appointments – 24 patients (60%) Utilization of virtual partial hospitalization services was higher among females – 24 (60%) than males – 16 (40%), higher among Caucasian – 32 (80%) than Hispanic – 2 (5%) and African American – 6 (15%), higher among widowed/divorced/single – 28 (70%) than among married – 12 (30%) 90% of patients (36) admitted that the virtual partial hospitalization program was very helpful to them in big part because of group and individual therapy By the end of the program all the patients felt comfortable utilizing platforms for virtual interactions All the patients admitted anticipatory anxiety about leaving the program 18 patients (45%) expressed the desire to keep in touch with other patients who they met in the program after graduation and possibly establish the group for further meetings 22 patients (55%) expressed the desire to join support groups (mostly virtual) in the community through NAMI and other organizations 3 patients (7 5%) adopted the pet (cat) from the pet shelter which they enjoyed Conclusions Based on results of this chart review COVID-19 pandemia has a negative impact on mental health of older adults The major factors that produce impact are: social isolation, disruption of daily routine, grief over the loss of the loved ones due to COVID-19, fear of contracting COVID-19, decrease in social and PCA service support in part due to the fear of contracting the virus, challenges with connecting with others through the virtual world One of the valuable treatment options for the affected older adults is virtual partial hospitalization that offers group and individual therapy, decreases social isolation, promotes networking, teaches patients to use various platforms for virtual interactions As Hispanic and African American patients tend to utilize virtual partial hospitalization services less outreach efforts are desirable Pet adoption seems to be an effective and safe way of overcoming social isolation for older adults Larger sample studies to further study this subject are warranted Funding No funding","Shteinlukht, Tatyana","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.098","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S102-S103, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S102-S103, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12184,""
"COVID-19 and Long-Term Care Healthcare Worker Mental Health in Rhode Island","Introduction Healthcare workers in long-term care settings and group homes for the disabled are at signi?cant risk of contracting COVID-19 and subsequently infecting the residents, fellow co-workers, and their family In addition, lower paying long-term care healthcare workers maybe working multiple jobs which increases the risk of exposure In April 2020, 27% of all deaths in the population was among residents in long-term care The elderly population has the greatest risk for mortality from COVID-19 (Liu et al 2020) and are disproportionality a?ected by social distance and self-isolation Most long-term care settings have implemented lockdowns preventing families from visiting and limiting interactions among residents Social isolation of the elderly is considered a serious public health concern Social disconnection is a risk factor for increased depression and anxiety among the elderly It is hypothesized that elderly persons are at high risk for poor mental health outcomes from the COVID-19 pandemic The Alzheimer's Disease International suggest that those with dementia “may become more anxious, angry, stressed, agitated, and withdrawn during the outbreak†These factors potentially may increase stress on healthcare workers in long-term care settings beyond the fears of exposure and transmitting COVID-19 to their families There are few studies to date that examine the mental health impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers in long-term care The United Nations has highlighted the mental health risk to workers in long-term care “First responders and front line workers, particularly workers in health and long-term care play a crucial role in ?ghting the outbreak and saving lives However, they are under exceptional stress, being faced with extreme workloads, di?cult decisions, risks of becoming infected and spreading infection to families and communities, and witnessing deaths of patients †Methods Healthcare workers in long-term care facilities, and assisted living facilities in Rhode Island were given questionnaires to complete that examined mental health and risk factors associated with COVID-19 The questionnaire includes items on the healthcare worker's experience with COVID-19 Resilience is measured using The Brief Resilience Scale assessing the individual's ability to bounce back or recover from stress Subjective incompetence is de?ned as the perceived incapacity to perform tasks and express feelings deemed appropriate in a stressful situation Increasing distress and subjective incompetence may convert a normal reaction to stress into mental disorder requiring intervention Demoralization is measured using the Demoralization Scale-II Depression and anxiety is measured using two of the most commonly used screens in clinical care, the PHQ-9 for depression and the GAD-7 for generalized anxiety Family functioning during and before the COVID-19 pandemic is measured using the three-item Brief Assessment of Family Functioning Social support is measured during and before the COVID-19 pandemic using the emotional-informational support subscale of the Brief Social Support Scale derived from the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey Coronavirus Anxiety Scale is a mental health screener designed to aid in the identi?cation of probable cases of dysfunctional anxiety associated with the COVID-19 pandemic The fear of Coronavirus-19 Scale was used to measure this construct The ?ve-item Primary Care PTSD Screen was adapted to COVID-19 as a traumatic event Items measuring healthcare worker workplace stress was developed based on a items from a number of existing scales A 15-item health care workers attitudes toward the management of COVID-19 in the long-term care facility was developed by the research team that focuses on training of sta?, safety, and resident care Results Preliminary data will be presented Data collection is currently underway There are 65 assisted living facilities and 85 nursing homes in Rhode Island Approximately 10% of the facilities are currently participating with the aim to recruit nearly all facilities in the state Conclusions The hypotheses to be tested is that healthcare workers in long-term care settings have mental health issues including demoralization, depression and anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic disaster That those who are in facilities with COVID-19 residents have increased stress Those facilities that have placed increased demands on healthcare workers will have employees that are having more difficulty in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic This study examines how healthcare workers in long-term care facilities have coped during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on their mental health;factors that protect or place the healthcare worker at risk for poorer mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, demoralization, post-traumatic stress);and factors during COVID-19 that place the healthcare worker for poorer mental health outcomes during COVID-19 pandemic Funding Department of Psychiatry of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Lifespan","Kohn, Robert, Brown, Melanie, Hasson, Carla, Sheeran, Thomas, Stanton, Laura, Nanda, Aman, Bayer, Thomas","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.097","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S101-S102, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S101-S102, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12185,""
"The Withdrawal After the Withdrawal: Managing Benzodiazepine Reduction and Post-Acute Withdrawal in Older Adults","Introduction Post-acute withdrawal, also described as protracted, extended or persistent withdrawal, refers to a syndrome that includes anxiety, irritability, hostility, mood instability, fatigue, insomnia and increased physical complaints often related to gastrointestinal symptoms, pain and weakness Unlike acute withdrawal, where treatment guidelines and practices are highly predictable and protocol driven;post-acute interventions are highly symptom driven and individualized Attention to co-occurring medical and psychiatric disorders is vital as well It is well-known that benzodiazepines pose greater risks to older adults including confusion, ataxia, syncope, risk of falls, fractures, delirium and excess hospitalizations Even with these known risks about 20-25% of all inappropriate prescriptions for benzodiazepines are given to older adults There is limited literature on managing post-acute withdrawal syndromes in older adults, with few available guidelines for medication management of emerging symptoms The additional challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic have increased both the stress on older adults in need of care and of providers seeking to engage patients in therapeutic relationships We focus on representative cases of older adults seeking treatment related to benzodiazepines withdrawal and describe flexible treatment approaches for their evolving and complex needs Methods Cases studies were identified from the patient population at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, an urban medical center serving a multicultural and socioeconomically diverse population that includes several NORC sites Mount Sinai Beth Israel has been serving the population of lower Manhattan since 1889 and provides full service behavioral health care including opioid treatment programs Patients were identified from those who presented to the ambulatory care center that offers adult, geriatric and dual-diagnosis services A personalized treatment planning approach was developed in each case and included the time period of the COVID-19 quarantine Results Mr A: 64 year old man with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Opioid Use Disorder in sustained remission on Methadone 270mg daily and Sedative Hypnotic Use Disorder The patient entered treatment for impending Benzodiazepine withdrawal after losing his provider He was taking alprazolam 2mg, clonazepam 6m and zolpidem 10mg daily over the past 30 years Following treatment for acute withdrawal and treatment with a slow taper of clonazepam the patient has been struggling with episodic anxiety and feelings of loss Isolation and boredom related to COVID-19 quarantine conditions have contributed to this making the issue of worsening anxiety with protracted withdrawal symptoms difficult to delineate Ms B:74 year old woman with Generalized Anxiety Disorder entered treatment after her provider closed his practice The patient was prescribed diazepam 40mg, lorazepam 2mg and zolpidem 10mg daily for the past 5 years In addition she was prescribed dextroamphetamine 20 mg daily for 3 years for fatigue Over a 2 year period the medications were tapered using clonazepam;the dextroamphetamine was discontinued While being maintained on clonazepam 0 5mg daily she started to complain of fearfulness, loneliness, insonia and chronic pain which increased with the onset of the COVID-19 quarantine Mirtazpine 7 5mg was started at bedtime with improvement Ms D: 59 year old woman with PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder, Alcohol Use Disorder, Cannabis Use Disorder and Cocaine Use Disorder treated with lorazepam 2 mg daily entered treatment after a previous provider was unable to administer Naltrexone LAI The dose was reduces by 25% every 3 to 4 weeks while mirtazapine was utilized to manage emerging symptoms of depression and insomnia Conclusions We found that patients often entered treatment as a result of prior providers either refusing to continue prescribing benzodiazepines or limiting their practice Patients responded well to engagement but under the increased stress of COVID-19 quarantine conditions symptoms increasingly emerged Our population included patients who were also receiving MAT for sustained remission of Opioid Use Disorder and faced greater risks related to benzodiazepine use Patients were receptive to educational interventions regarding the risks of continuing use and were able to engage in treatment Despite the proven negative outcomes of chronic use providers continue to prescribe benzodiazepines inappropriately to older adults The need to care for patients treated with these agents is high Post-acute withdrawal syndrome is poorly understood and under recognized in older adults Efforts such as de-prescribing, patient centered approaches to rational prescribing and use remote education programs should be increased COVID-19 pandemic conditions lead to an increase in overall symptoms reported but did not prevent patients from engaging in successful treatment","Lantz, Melinda, Levya, Rigoberto, Hartman, Jenna, DiGenova, Patrick, Swift, Amy","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.096","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S100-S101, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S100-S101, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12186,""
"Scoping Review of Geriatric Depression and Behavioral Activation","Introduction A substantial proportion of older adults will experience depression (including major depressive disorder and subsyndromal depressive symptoms), yet depression remains underdiagnosed and undertreated among older adults Behavioral Activation is an effective, empirically-validated, first-line treatment for mild to moderate depression Behavioral activation is a patient-centered intervention designed to decrease depressive behavior (e g social isolation, physical inactivity) and increase engagement in pleasurable activities (e g hobbies, family time) The objective of this scoping review is to evaluate the gaps in the literature and knowledge base regarding the implementation contexts, target populations, delivery modalities, assessment methods, and effectiveness of behavioral activation as a treatment for depression and/or anxiety among older adults, including both inpatient and outpatient settings Methods We performed a scoping review and searched for peer-reviewed articles published from 1990 to 2020 The keywords and their combinations (e g , depression, anxiety, elder(s), elderly, geriatric, older adult(s), age, aged, aging, behavio(u)ral activation) were used in search engines including the following but not limited to PubMed, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Our search strategy identified 423 results;after removing duplicates, 232 results remained Currently, we are evaluating the titles and abstracts using broad inclusion criteria to ensure that all relevant behavioral activation relevant to geriatric depression and/or anxiety are included All types of studies and publications (e g randomized clinical trials, cohort studies, case controls, reviews, etc ) that focus on behavioral activation as an intervention or primary focus are being included in this comprehensive search Studies have to include participants > 50 years old with either clinically diagnosed depression and/or anxiety at or above a pre-defined cut-point on a validated symptom scale (e g , PHQ-9: >5 and GAD-7: >5) Results This scoping review will chart the landscape of literature relevant to behavioral activation for older adults with depression and/or anxiety The literature will be reviewed in terms of study setting (e g , community or outpatient settings, inpatient psychiatric units, assisted living facilities);study type (including randomized clinical trials, as well as observational studies, cohort studies, case controls, cross sectional, etc );mode, frequency, and duration of intervention delivery;type and training of providers;assessment methods;and outcomes Reviews will be examined for themes and consistency in synthesis of findings Particular attention will be paid to identifying gaps in the literature where further work is needed to broaden the reach and impact of this promising intervention Conclusions Scoping reviews represent a compelling method for evaluating existing literature and identifying gaps for future study The present scoping review will synthesize the identified literature, in the hope of helping not only clinicians who work closely with older adults, but also researchers wishing to pursue studies in this area Given a burgeoning older adult population and a paucity of geriatric mental health providers, clinical guidelines offering alternative nonpharmacologic therapy can be effective and cost-effective for clinicians and healthcare systems Given the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent escalation in social isolation among older adults, it is also hoped that this scoping review will identify promising avenues and methods for adapting behavioral activation in myriad ways—i e , through implementation via telehealth platforms—to the older adult population Funding Not applicable","Tran, Donna, Predescu, Iuliana, Cassidy-Eagle, Erin, Dunn, Laura","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.087","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S91-S92, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S91-S92, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12187,""
"Loneliness in the Elderly During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Literature Review in Preparation for a Future Study","Introduction Loneliness, defined as “the subjective feeling of isolation, not belonging, or lacking companionship†has been found to have increasing prevalence in the United States Elderly populations have a unique susceptibility to loneliness since aging is associated with many losses that can both provoke and amplify such feelings Loneliness has been found to have detrimental effects on physical and mental health in the elderly, including increased rates of depression, cognitive impairment, and mortality The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with several factors that may contribute to feelings of isolation and loneliness These include quarantine, social distancing, family and other significant relationship disruptions, interruption of regular vocation and avocational roles, illness, and death with associated grief On the other hand, reports have also emerged about how older people have demonstrated greater resilience during the pandemic, with a sense of enhanced community emerging As such, examining the pandemic's impact on loneliness in the elderly, especially in those older people with psychiatric illness, may illuminate new strategies to improve quality of life and clinical symptomatology Methods PubMed searches were completed using the terms “loneliness,†“COVID-19,†and “elderly†up until December 6 2020 Media reports about loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic were reviewed for any references to studies Published, peer-reviewed studies were selected based upon their examination and measurement of loneliness prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic in populations aged 65 and older Additional eligible studies were obtained through reviewing the references of selected studies Results Nine published studies were found that measured levels of loneliness in older adults at both any time point before the COVID-19 pandemic and during the COVID-19 pandemic All studies examined a general older adult population without cognitive impairment Loneliness was typically measured using the UCLA Loneliness Scale or the DeJong Gierveld Loneliness Scale The majority of studies (seven out of nine) found increased levels of loneliness during the pandemic compared to after the pandemic However, two of these studies found the increases to only be slight, although still significant Two studies found the levels of loneliness pre-pandemic to remain stable during the pandemic Conclusions Thus far, limited studies have looked at changes in loneliness in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic The results are mixed, although a majority of studies have found loneliness levels increase The COVID-19 pandemic has led to associated stay-at-home orders, decreased in-person socialization, and increased death and loss, especially in older adults All of these factors have the potential to exacerbate loneliness On the other hand, some media reports have suggested that collective interest in and focus on the pandemic have been associated with a higher frequency of social interactions and greater engagement in current events Hence, despite COVID-related isolation, quarantine and social distancing, a paradoxical enhanced sense of community may emerge for some that is not dissimilar to observed phenomena during other recent crises, leading to static levels of loneliness seen in two of the selected studies As loneliness has many negative consequences for older adults it should continue to be studied within the context of COVID-19 Further research is needed to assess changes in loneliness during the pandemic and its aftermath within the subgroup of older, depressed adults living in the community as the relationship between loneliness and depression is well-established This review has provided key background information for such a future study Funding Not Applicable","Bhutani, Saumya, Greenwald, Blaine","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.081","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S87-S88, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S87-S88, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12188,""
"Impact of COVID-19 on mental health in the elderly population","Introduction We explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prevalence of mental health problems in the elderly population in retirement communities in Florida Older adults are especially at risk of illness from COVID-19, and the elderly population is more prone to comorbidities that can affect their contraction of COVID-19 While the aging population is known to be at risk, there is very little research conducted on how this risk affects mental health, a factor that can worsen and further impair recovery Methods We examined survey data amongst 1620 patients between the ages of 55 and 93 years old 53% of the patients were male, and 47% was female Demographic information such as race, ethnicity, marriage status, and living situation were collected Other health information such as BMI, smoking history, and alcohol intake were collected as well Since the COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing, we look at the changes before and after March 2020, when COVID-19 was declared a national emergency in the United States Survey included COVID-19 interaction measures such as travel, mask usage, contact tracing, and whether patient has been tested for COVID-19 in the past Data collected using DSM V diagnostic criteria desk reference on mental health included diagnoses, insomnia, stress levels, and weight gain Patients were asked whether their stress levels have increased during COVID-19, and also if they already have an existing mental health diagnosis that worsened during the pandemic period Results 39% of patients report leaving the house daily, and 92 5% of the subjects wear a mask 100% of the time when going outside This shows that most elderly patients have a strict adherence to prevention policies that the CDC recommends such as wearing a mask in public settings, staying indoors, and using social distancing measures Therefore, this provides an explanation for why only 54 7% of the subjects reported stress level increases because of COVID-19 when recent research has stated that COVID-19 has had a detrimental effect on mental health and stress levels especially in the elderly population Correlation between subjects who have preexisting health conditions (hypertension, diabetes, history of stroke, and coronary artery disease (CAD)) and stress levels were insignificant, as well as the correlation between subjects who have pre-existing mental health conditions (depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder) and stress levels In addition, 52 8% of subjects reported that if a COVID-19 vaccine was released to the public they would choose to get the vaccine Conclusions There has been an increase in evidence published that the COVID-19 pandemic is having a detrimental effect on mental health on populations worldwide and has been often declared as a mental health crisis Previous research has shown that the pandemic is disproportionately affecting people with pre-existing conditions and has had a negative impact because of widespread panic and anxiety, and physical isolation This survey data demonstrates that in the elderly population, the mental health impact of the pandemic has been overstated, and that with adherence to the guidelines on how to prevent contraction of COVID-19 there is not a significant impact on mental health for the older population","Qi, Andrea, Dada, David","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.076","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S84-S85, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S84-S85, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12189,""
"Special Considerations for Older LGBTQ Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Case and Review","Introduction Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic, older adults have been disproportionately impacted by both illness and fatalities Of the nearly 39 million adults over age 65 in the United States, approximately 2 4 million older adults identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) LGBTQ older adults face unique challenges due to their intersecting identities and histories, including the effects of heterosexism, ageism, and being more likely to live alone, be single, and not have children As we implement social distancing as a primary COVID-19 prevention method, older adults have faced increased isolation Methods We present one case of a lesbian older adult patient who has experienced increased depression during the COVID-19 pandemic A table will be added featuring culturally competent recommendations for LGBTQ older adults from a literature review Results A 77-year-old female with history of major depression, attention deficit disorder, hypertension, xerostomia, and polymyalgia rheumatica The patient has been on multiple trials of medications for depression as well as ECT treatments She described being a shy child and felt criticized and often rejected by her mother She was initially engaged to a man and after some years fell in love with a woman The patient is currently single and has no children She typically has a strong support system with her lifelong friend and attends church She transitioned from independent living to an adult living facility, with the hope of increased social activity and connectedness However, due to COVID-19, she experienced her move as extremely difficult, and was disappointed that all social activities were canceled For a period of several months, she was unable to visit her chosen family, was limited to attending church via Zoom, and was restricted from multiple areas of the complex As a result, she reported increased depression, anxiety, and difficulty sleeping with passive suicidal ideation due to isolation and no direct family support Conclusions The latest research highlights current vulnerabilities and health disparities of the older adult population, as well as ways to increase support and resiliency through the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic Older LGBTQ populations are at disproportionately higher risk for mental health conditions and with the current social distancing measures in place, social isolation and loneliness has been exacerbated Connection with accepting family and community are well documented in the literature as key protective factors and sources of resiliency in LGBTQ populations Culturally competent care is integral to psychiatric treatment of older LGBTQ adults Funding Not Applicable","Grullon, Alejandra, Tsygankova, Valeriya, Woolwine, Bobbi, Tan, Amanda, Hermida, Adriana","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.070","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S80, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S80, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12190,""
"The Acute Psychiatric Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Older Adults","Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has presented significant public health challenges worldwide, resulting in over a million deaths worldwide and major changes in social processes Older adults are disproportionately represented among those experiencing severe illness and death Older adults, particularly those with pre-existing psychiatric conditions, may also be more vulnerable to the psychiatric impacts of the pandemic and its resulting social sequelae During peak months of the pandemic, our inpatient geriatric psychiatry service has cared for patients who presented with severe psychiatric states related to the pandemic In this study, we examine four cases to illustrate differing mechanisms by which the pandemic causes acute psychiatric distress in older adults and describe targeted interventions to address each mechanism Methods Cases seen in the Geriatric Psychiatry/Neuropsychiatry inpatient service at Johns Hopkins Hospital late in the first wave of the pandemic (June 2020) are analyzed to identify the psychological and social mechanisms for acute psychiatric distress, using a timeline representation approach Results The timeline analysis of the cases indicated four mechanisms for acute psychiatric distress during the pandemic: incitement of fear, social isolation, loss of routine and purpose, and disruption of medical services These factors have been shown in other work to have adverse effects on the psychological well-being of older adults Conclusions While the older adult population as a whole may be heterogeneous in their psychological reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic, those with fewer social resources, lower resilience, or pre-existing mental illness are likely to experience disproportionate distress in the face of these changes Interventions should be tailored to promote flourishing in individuals;including assistance in navigating changes in the healthcare system, developing technological skills, and leveraging connections and resources in the individual's social circle and community Funding None","Ma, Grace, Aluri, James, Bailey, Allison, Onyike, Chiadi","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.067","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S76-S77, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S76-S77, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12191,""
"Cognitive consequences of COVID-19 in older adults with cognitive impairment","Introduction Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is due to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with significant morbidity and mortality that is well documented This includes significant central nervous system (CNS) involvement that ranges from acute delirium to meningoencephalitis While acute symptoms and manifestations have been noted, long-term neuropsychiatric and cognitive outcomes remain unclear in convalescent COVID-19 patients Characterizing the convalescence is particularly important since 80% recover, yet the relationship between exacerbated cognitive dysfunction and COVID-19 remains unclear We describe 3 adults above age 65 who reported worsening cognitive symptoms in the convalescent stage of COVID-19 Methods Three adults above the age of 65 who noted worsening cognitive difficulties after SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 were evaluated in the Memory Clinic of the Duke Neurological Disorders Clinic Electronic medical records were retrospectively reviewed Exam included a comprehensive neurological evaluation, formal neuropsychological evaluation, and neuroimaging Prior history was collected for comparison with their current clinical evaluation profile data Results Patient 1 is a 69 year old diabetic, hypertensive male with a history of depression and a first-order relative and a maternal aunt with late-onset Alzheimer's disease dementia who presented for evaluation of memory loss first noted about one year prior but had significantly worsened in the five months since his recovery from COVID-19 He had documented antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 The patient reported forgetting when he had eaten and now evinces navigation issues even when driving on familiar roads Head CT without contrast obtained before COVID-19 infection showed mild bilateral hippocampal atrophy He scored 4/8 on the AD8 Dementia Screening and 20/30 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) PHQ9 was 10, GAD7 was 0, and NPI was 1 Formal neuropsychological evaluation data were collected A diagnosis of late-onset Alzheimer's disease without behavioral disturbance was made during his clinic visit Donezepil was started Other comorbidities included vitamin B12 deficiency, atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, obstructive sleep apnea, and morbid obesity Patient 2 is a 68 year old male with a history of anxiety, depression, and attention deficit disorder who presented for evaluation of poor memory, inability to “visually map,†and daily “senior moments†as well as a prolonged period of confusion while driving four months after recovering from COVID-19 He had documented antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 He had transient memory problems two years ago that improved after changing his bupropion dosage He also takes fluoxetine He now regularly misplaces objects and often stops a task midway through, thinking that he completed it His GDS score was 5 Head CT was unremarkable MRI of the brain demonstrated mild hippocampal and biparietal lobe atrophy as well as mild cerebral white matter disease He scored 7/8 on the AD8 Dementia Screening and 27/30 on the MoCA A diagnosis of dementia with behavioral disturbance was made PHQ9 was 9, GAD7 was 6, and NPI was 7 B12 was normal There is no family history of cognitive impairment Patient 3 is a 76-year-old female with a history of bipolar 1, diabetes, hypothyroidism, hyperlipidemia who presented for evaluation of memory loss that started 6 months ago but worsened since she had recovered from COVID-19 diagnosed about 8 weeks earlier After testing positive, she was hospitalized for 3 weeks due to acute encephalopathy attributed to lithium toxicity She was also taking trazodone Her GDS score was 7 She scored 8/8 on the AD8 Dementia Screening MoCA could not be completed PHQ9 was 3, GAD7 was 9, and NPI was 19 Formal neuropsychological evaluation data were collected Head CT without contrast three weeks after COVID-19 diagnosis showed calcification in the right basal ganglia, a mild hypodense signal periventricularly, and gray-white differentiation Brain MRI without contrast showed subtle hippocampal and perisylvian atrophy on T1, mild to moderate parietal lobe atrophy bilaterally, and mild to moderate periventricular leukoaraiosis/white matter hyperintensities on FLAIR sequence A diagnosis of dementia without behavioral disturbance was made There is a family history of bipolar disorder in siblings and cognitive impairment in her father but no specific diagnosis of dementia Conclusions This case series describes the exacerbation of pre-existing psychiatric and cognitive conditions after COVID-19 recovery in 3 older adults with formal neuropsychological evaluation data Longitudinal investigation of convalescent patients is warranted to better clinically characterize and provide insight into the long-term effects of COVID-19 This will allow further investigation into the pathophysiology regarding the long-term consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection Funding Not Applicable","Polascik, Bryce, Browndyke, Jeffrey, Davis, Simon, Liu, Andy","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.066","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S75-S76, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S75-S76, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12192,""
"Considerations for delirium screening in response to a case of COVID-19 on an inpatient geriatric psychiatric unit","Introduction While the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus has challenged healthcare systems across the country, inpatient psychiatric hospitals struggle with a unique challenge Psychiatric patients participate in therapy groups and eat meals together on milieus It is difficult to enforce mask use or self-isolation practices in the setting of psychosis or mania Additionally, neuropsychiatric disorders such as new onset psychosis, delirium, and affective disorders have all been documented following a SARS-CoV2 infection A surveillance study from the UK found that primary psychiatric diagnoses were most common in younger patients and encephalopathy was more common in older adults following a SARS-CoV2 infection A multicenter cohort study looking specifically at older adults found that 226 (28%) of 817 geriatric patients with COVID-19 had delirium at ED presentation Delirium was the sixth most common of all presenting symptoms of COVID-19 Of patients with delirium, 16% had delirium as a primary presenting complaint and 37% had no fever or shortness of breath Our psychiatric hospital has a geriatric psychiatry service, which has generated further challenges during the pandemic The hospital requires COVID-19 testing prior to admission, but false negatives are possible We continue to adapt our procedures to best serve this vulnerable population as we learn more about COVID-19 and atypical presentations We provide a case report of a geriatric psychiatry patient who presented with delirium secondary to COVID-19 and the subsequent consideration in our admission process Methods A case report of a patient who was admitted to the geriatric psychiatry inpatient service and was found to have delirium as a presenting COVID-19 symptom A review of neuropsychiatric manifestations of COVID-19 will be presented Results Ms A is an 80-year-old woman with history of major depressive disorder, recent non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction, aortic stenosis, ischemic cardiomyopathy, and hypertension She was originally admitted to the inpatient psychiatry from the ED for suicidal ideation and worsening depression but was found to be inattentive and disoriented She had multiple falls in the several days leading up to admission, but no respiratory symptoms or fever The geriatric psychiatry service determined she was delirious and started medical work up for etiology Her rapid COVID-19 test at an outside facility was negative Her medical work up was remarkable for a leukocytosis of 11 ×109 per liter, and an acute kidney injury (AKI) with BUN 20 mg/dL and Creatinine 1 31 mg/dL increased acutely from baseline of 0 9 Urinalysis was negative for infection She was transferred to the emergency room for encephalopathy and declining oral intake There, she tested positive for COVID-19 by PCR and was admitted to medicine for delirium of likely multiple etiologies including COVID-19 Her EEG showed generalized slowing and her head CT was negative for hemorrhage or infarction The consult liaison psychiatry service continued to follow Mrs A during her three-week hospitalization, during which she required Olanzapine 2 5 mg as needed for agitation related to her hyperactive delirium Her AKI resolved with intravenous fluids and avoidance of nephrotoxic agents She was discharged into the care of family on psychiatric medications fluoxetine 40 mg and mirtazapine 45 mg after her delirium gradually resolved with supportive care including physical and occupational therapy Conclusions The diverse clinical presentation, often multifactorial etiology and the waxing and waning course of delirium makes it difficult to diagnose in an emergency room setting even for experienced physicians Delirium can present with depressive, cognitive, and psychotic symptoms It is not uncommon for delirious geriatric patients to be admitted to our inpatient unit for agitation, psychosis or depression, as was the case with Ms A Delirium can be a presenting symptom of COVID-19 Given this and our unique circumstances on a psychiatric milieu, we need to take greater consideration when assessing for delirium and other possible neuropsychiatric symptoms of SARS-CoV2 infection prior to admission Grossman et al developed a modified confusion assessment method for the emergency department (mCAM-ED) that requires 3 to 5 minutes to complete the whole instrument However, despite having this and other tools, formal assessment tools for delirium are rarely used in the ED It is important that geriatric patients are triaged to the appropriate level of care so proper medical treatment can be initiated without delay, as prolonged encephalopathy can lead to permanent decline in cognitive function, worse outcomes, and increased mortality This case reinforces the clinical importance of including delirium on checklists of presenting symptoms of COVID-19, specifically for geriatric patients, that guide standardized screening, evaluation, and treatment Funding The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article","Subler, Ashley, Hermida, Adriana, Tune, Larry","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.060","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S68-S69, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S68-S69, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12193,""
"Caring for Older Adults with Depression Receiving Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) During the 2020 Pandemic","Introduction Caregivers are essential in providing valuable patient information to medical providers, such as recent changes in health, family history, previous hospitalizations, and medication reactions Caring for elderly patients with a mental illness, in particular, is a unique and challenging job that may lead to caregiver stress and inability to provide proper care As a result, patients with stressed caregivers are at increased risk of elder neglect and abuse With limited available research investigating caregiver burden among those caring for patients receiving ECT and the new life challenges presented by the 2020 pandemic, it is more important than ever to take a closer look at the caregivers’ experiences Methods Emory's Wesley Woods Geriatric Hospital is one of the busiest ECT services in the country with around 2000 treatments completed every year In this study, researchers are expecting to enroll and interview 25 caregivers of patients receiving ECT using the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview This assessment includes 22 questions assessing the nature and frequency of caregiver emotions when caring for their dependents in order to examine the impact of the patient's condition on caregiver wellbeing The score ranges from 0 (no burden) to 88 (severe burden) and the questions cover information about the caregivers’ current emotional state and struggles Other objective assessments completed with ECT patients are BDI (Beck Depression Inventory), BDI Suicide, Sheehan Disability Scale, ECCA (Electrocompulsive Cognitive Assessment), GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale), and CGI (Clinical Global Impression) The purpose of these interviews is to investigate whether the higher severity of depression in patients correlates with higher levels of caregiver burden and whether the pandemic contributed to caregiver burden Results The Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview has been administered on five patients (n=5) currently undergoing ECT for depressive symptoms Additional patients are being interviewed in the ECT suite and further data collected will be presented at the 2021 AAGP Annual Meeting Conclusions As the world adjusts to life in the COVID-19 era, caregivers face new challenges in providing care for vulnerable, at-risk populations Caregivers of patients receiving ECT facilitate frequent COVID testing and limited visitation policies while continuing to provide care and emotional support to patients with advanced age and a mental illness The main focus of the medical team is typically on patients;however, caregivers fill an essential role in the care of our geriatric patients receiving ECT and it is equally as important to be mindful of caregivers’ experiences in order to catch and potentially prevent serious consequences resulting from caregiver burnout Administrating the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview can help providers look at the degree of burden in caregivers of patients receiving ECT for depressive symptoms and provide better caregiving strategies during the 2020 pandemic Funding Not Applicable","Tsygankova, Valeriya, Grullon, Alejandra, Woolwine, Bobbi, Subler, Ashley, Schwab, Parker, Hermida, Adriana","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.056","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S64-S65, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S64-S65, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12194,""
"Caregiver Burden as Impacted by COVID-19: Translation of a Rapid Review to Clinical Recommendations","Introduction The research on caregiver burden among caregivers of individuals with neurodegenerative diseases has been growing throughout the past few decades, allowing health professionals to gain an understanding of the challenges faced by caregivers and provide important recommendations and interventions to reduce caregiver burden Currently, a new set of challenges has arisen as the US faces the novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, which disproportionally impacts older adults Given that the risk of COVID-19 illness severity increases with age, older adults have been advised to self-quarantine and follow stay-at-home orders put in place by government officials This physical isolation is purported to lead to decreased social interaction and physical activity among older adults and their caregivers, removing protective factors for overall well-being, aging, and quality of life, and subsequently increasing caregiver burden Despite the assumed impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on caregivers of individuals with neurodegenerative diseases, a rapid review of the current body of literature is critical to provide a summary of work being conducted in this emerging area As such, the current presentation aims to disseminate the findings of a rapid literature review and lessons learned from translating the findings into clinical recommendations Methods Source documents for this literature review were identified through a computerized search using the APA PsychInfo Database and Google Scholar covering the year 2019 to 2020 The following keywords, and combinations of these were utilized: “Caregiver,†“Caregiver Burden,†“Family Caregiver,†“Burden,†“Dementia,†“Alzheimer's Disease,†and “COVID-19 †All English-Language journal articles that appeared to be relevant for this literature were read After applying exclusion criteria (i e articles unrelated to the COVID-19 Pandemic or those that did not assess caregiver burden associated with older adults), 21 peer-reviewed articles warranted inclusion Results After rapid review of the available literature to date, a total of 12 articles in our review assessed for the impact of COVID-19 on caregiver burden Six articles indicated that the worsening of patients’ behavioral and psychological symptoms, an increase in patients’ functional impairment, being the sole caregiver, and increased daily hours of care have all been associated with increased caregiver burden and depression Additional factors such as social support, coping strategies, mindfulness, reduction of social isolation, reinforcement of positive activities, and acceptance of role change and loss, among others, have been identified to protect against caregiver burden, as assessed by 3 articles included in our review Conclusions As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and government officials continue to urge the public to practice social distancing by staying home and keeping interaction with people outside of the household to a minimum, increased experiences of social isolation and continued reduction of readily available outside resources due to the global pandemic is expected to greatly impact caregivers and related caregiver burden Within the past year, researchers have answered the call to better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic through substantial and timely contributions giving unique insights to help guide practice and future research Within the research to date, the long-term effects of COVID-19 on caregivers and caregiver burden remain unknown Gaining an understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on caregivers will serve to inform caregivers and health professionals about treatment and interventions, as well as raise awareness of the lasting impact COVID-19 will continue to have over the coming years In order to summarize and disseminate timely findings, the current review highlights the dimensions of caregiving that affect the caregiver and the person being cared for;it will also address how those dimensions have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic As seen in our clinical practice, older adults are now faced with additional obstacles when it comes to aging successfully The burden of adapting and facilitating successful aging within the pandemic complicates the burden already felt by the caregiver, compromising the caregiver's self-care and quality of life Implications of this review will serve to call attention to the impact COVID-19 has had and continues to have on caregivers and patients with neurodegenerative diseases, touch on the experiences and consequences of caregiver burden, and will further provide concrete translational clinical recommendations of these findings to improve patient care and outcomes Funding N/A","Hristova, Claudia, Ordóñez, Patricia, Stripling, Ashley, Nuccio, Alexandria, Perez, Sophia","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.055","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S63-S64, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S63-S64, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12195,""
"Post-COVID-19 Panic Disorder in Older Adults: Two Case Reports","Introduction Patients who recover from infection with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) are at risk for a range of neuropsychiatric conditions, among which anxiety spectrum disorders have been frequently observed Methods In this report we present two cases of older adults with no past psychiatric history who developed panic disorder after recovering from COVID-19 Results Patient A is a 51-year-old Haitian American woman who was admitted to inpatient psychiatry with symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, disorganized behavior, and suicidal ideation, as well as intermittent hypertensive episodes After discharge, the hypertensive episodes persisted and were associated with feelings of impending doom, palpitations, and shortness of breath While undergoing blood pressure management from her cardiologist, she was admitted to outpatient psychiatry, diagnosed with panic disorder, and tried on multiple medications (Mirtazapine, Trazodone, Hydroxyzine, Escitalopram, Sertraline) None of these medications relieved her symptoms, which gradually evolved from panic/anxiety/depression to derealization/depersonalization Eventually, all her symptoms abated without medication Patient B is a 61-year-old African American woman who was admitted to outpatient psychiatry with episodes of chest tightness, palpitations, and trembling, as well as insomnia and depressed mood;she too was diagnosed with panic disorder She had previously been treated by her primary care doctor and in the emergency room with various benzodiazepines (Diazepam, Alprazolam, Lorazepam), but she was eventually stabilized on a regimen of Sertraline, Trazodone, and Gabapentin Conclusions Here we examine the rationale and effectiveness of various medication trials for COVID-19-induced panic disorder, as well as how psychosocial risk factors may predict the course of illness We also discuss some hypothesized mechanisms by which SARS-CoV-2 could produce neuropsychiatric sequelae (e g direct viral injury, cytokine storm, molecular mimicry) These mechanisms could affect both peripheral and central nervous systems, resulting in the combination of autonomic instability and mood disturbance classically associated with panic disorder Funding New York State Department of Health, Center of Excellence Grant","Kumar, Arjun, Cohen, Carl","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.050","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S58-S59, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S58-S59, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12196,""
"Mental health outcomes during COVID-19: A scoping review & recommendations for geriatrics research","Introduction In addition to being at greater risk for severe illness and fatality during infectious outbreaks, older adults are also vulnerable to mental and physical health risks due to increased social isolation Studies on the mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are rapidly emerging, with reviews focused on the prevalence of psychiatric symptoms in patients infected with COVID-19, healthcare workers, or mixed samples of healthcare workers, patient populations, and community-dwelling individuals However, recent reviews of mental health during COVID-19 have failed to focus on findings in the geriatric population This review provides a scope of the current literature on the prevalence of psychiatric symptoms in the general population, with a geriatric lens, by examining older adults' representation across studies and the pandemic's impact on older adults’ mental health Methods The PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews Checklist was used as the methodological framework to conduct the review A review of the literature on the topic was conducted through PubMed and https://www medrxiv org/ from January 1st, 2020 to June 1st, 2020 Studies were included if they (i) focused on mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic, (ii) used validated measures of psychological or psychiatric symptomatology;(iii) included samples of the general population or in which they comprised the majority;(iv) reported quantitative outcomes of prevalence (expressed as the percentage of participants that exceed the cut-off for normal on the measures) Excluded were (i) opinion papers or commentaries without prevalence data;(ii) studies that reported qualitative data or population means only;(iii) studies with samples of primarily healthcare workers (i e , the entire or >50% of the sample were healthcare workers), (iv) studies with patient samples such as those with confirmed or probable COVID-19 infection, clinic or hospitalized patients, or pregnant women Fifty-six full-text articles were included in the review, with 33 published articles and 23 pre-print articles Results Cross-sectional designs were employed by all 56 studies that met the inclusion criteria The results pooled across the studies showed that 1 in 3 individuals across all age groups endorses post-traumatic stress symptoms, while approximately 30% experience depression, anxiety, and overall stress Amongst available data in older adults 60 years of age or older, anxiety rates were comparable to the overall population (30 2%), while the prevalence of depression was higher, with nearly 1 in 3 older adults experiencing clinically significant depression symptoms Effects of age on mental health outcomes are mixed, with several studies showing that the risk or severity of psychiatric symptoms may be lower in older adults In contrast, others show the opposite pattern or no effect of age The current literature on mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic has two important methodological limitations The first is that the cross-sectional design in all reviewed studies does not permit firm conclusions regarding whether the current reported prevalence rates can be attributed to the onset of the pandemic or whether they represent a change from baseline A second limitation is that all studies reviewed typically assessed mental health outcomes using self-report measures completed by anonymous responders in online surveys No studies included follow-up assessments, and none conducted clinical or psychiatric interviews to confirm the presence of clinically significant psychiatric symptomatology or to establish a diagnosis Self-report measures are used as screening tools in psychological research, but there are limitations to relying on scale scores to establish clinical significance Conclusions Overall, nearly 1 in 3 individuals have experienced negative effects on mental health during COVID-19, a figure that exceeds rates reported in front-line healthcare workers Paradoxically, some studies report that older age may be a protective factor against psychiatric symptoms, but this is based on a limited number of studies Our main recommendations for future research include: (i) the use of longitudinal study designs to permit assessment of change in mental health and to yield more definitive conclusions regarding the impact of the pandemic on mental health, and (ii) ensuring a wider representation of older adults through the use of methods, other than online survey platforms, to assess mental health More high-quality data is needed to understand the pandemic's effects on the general population's mental health, which can inform public health and social policy decisions aimed at alleviating these burdens during the pandemic Funding The study was funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Alternative Funding Plan The funders had no role in the design of the study, analysis, or preparation of the manuscript","Thapar, Serena, Mah, Linda","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.049","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S54-S58, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S54-S58, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12197,""
"Increase in depression and anxiety symptoms and stable levels of compassion among older adults from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic","Introduction The coronavirus pandemic and resulting restrictions of social activity have the potential to differentially affect older adults People over 65 years old are at increased vulnerability to COVID-19 compared to younger adults, which may increase anxiety and efforts to socially isolate In addition, older adults may be uniquely affected by smaller social networks or less access to technological substitutes for social interactions While a recent study on mental well-being among older adults with pre-existing major depressive disorder found no changes in depression and anxiety associated with the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, it is unclear whether the same will be seen among community-dwelling older adults over an extended course of the pandemic It is also important to understand whether and how some older adults are able to maintain wellness under social restrictions We enrolled participants who took part in a pre-pandemic clinical trial (MEDEX) comparing the ability of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), aerobic exercise, the combination, or health education to reduce cognitive decline Participants in MEDEX were assessed for levels of depression, anxiety, and compassion prior to the start of the pandemic In a new study called StayWELL, we conducted follow-up assessments starting in June 2020, using online and mobile surveys, and examined the difference and relationship of pre- and during-pandemic measures of mental health symptoms and compassion Methods Participant inclusion criteria: 1) older than 65 years, 2) participated in the MEDEX study, and 3) possess a mobile device with touch screen and internet access Design: Fully virtual ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study: Using a web-based survey, we measured compassion with the Santa Clara Brief Compassion Scale and mental health symptoms using PROMIS depression and anxiety scores StayWELL participants complete four two-week intensive sampling bursts throughout the pandemic Data from the first burst – June 2020 – was analyzed in this study General linear models are used to investigate the relationship of pre- and during-pandemic measures of depression, anxiety and compassion Results Seventy-six participants are actively enrolled in our study (mean age=70 years, SD=4 3) Seventy-eight percent are women, and the mean (SD) education is 16 6 (2 0) years The racial distribution is 84% White, 8% Black/African American, 4% Asian, and 3% More than One Race;five percent of participants identify as Hispanic Preliminary analysis to examine change in mental health and compassion from pre-pandemic (MEDEX data) to during-pandemic (StayWELL baseline) indicate that depressive and anxiety symptoms were significantly higher three months into the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic measures, while compassion for others remained unchanged and high in this sample Scores at the two timepoints were correlated, particularly for compassion (see Figure 1) Conclusions In this sample of older adults, anxiety and depressive symptom levels increased from before to during the pandemic Our preliminary results support the role of compassion as a stable, individual trait marker This ongoing longitudinal project will allow us to understand trajectories of change in mental health and well-being across the pandemic, how this relates to the degree of social isolation, and how positive psychological traits such as compassion may buffer changes in well-being brought on by the stress of living through a global health and economic crisis Additional data is collected to further characterize mental health and wellbeing throughout the course of the pandemic using smart-phone based assessments of empathy, social isolation, loneliness, resilience, and mindfulness at similar timepoints with EMA and GPS location tracking and mobile keystroke activity (BiAffect app) on a daily basis Funding Early Postdoc Mobility Fellowship of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) to FK","Klaus, Federica, Moore, Raeanne C.; Depp, Colin A.; Yingling, Michael D.; Lenze, Eric J.; Wetherell, Julie L.; Eyler, Lisa T.","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.048","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S53-S54, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S53-S54, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12198,""
"Functional Brain Networks of Trait and State Anxiety in Late-Life Depression","Introduction Late-life depression (LLD) is associated with psychiatric comorbidities that may worsen mood outcomes in older adults, yet the neural mechanisms that underlie these comorbid conditions remain understudied Anxiety and neuroticism have been independently associated with LLD, and its mood and cognitive outcomes In a preliminary behavioral data analysis we found that anxiety measures correlated with depression measures in older adults We also found that several baseline neuroticism and anxiety traits predicted depression scores over time In this study, we analyzed neuroimaging data in the setting of anxiety and neuroticism measures in LLD and hypothesized that there would be differences in resting state activity patterns in the Salience network (SN), Default-Mode network (DMN) and Executive Control network (ECN) related to severity of: (1) generalized anxiety, (2) state and trait anxiety, and (3) neuroticism Methods This was a cross-sectional secondary data analysis on clinical and MRI data collected from our NBOLD project LLD patients without dementia were included Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms, state and trait anxiety, neuroticism and depression were assessed using a GAD questionnaire, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI), and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), respectively A study psychiatrist confirmed or ruled out diagnosis of depression There were 102 older adults with LLD, and among them, 87 subjects who had measures of STAI-trait, STAI-state anxiety, GAD symptoms and neuroticism as well as usable neuroimaging data were included into our final analyses The neuroimaging data was collected from 3T Siemens Skyra scanner The imaging parameters for T1-weighted images were: TR/TE=2200/2 8ms, flip angle=13o, matrix = 256 × 256 × 169, Voxelsize=1×1×1mm3 The 7-min resting-state fMRI data was collected using EPI sequence with FOV=240mm, flip angle=90o, TR/TE=2000/31ms, matrix=64×64×34, voxelsize = 3 8×3 8×3 75mm3 The fMRI data was preprocessed using the default protocol setting recommend by DPABI software The Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuations (ALFF) was calculated using DPABI Multiple regression model was used to examine the association between ALFF and GAD, state and trait anxiety as well as neuroticism controlled for age, gender and depression severity (MADRS) using SPM12 Significance was set at p<0 05 with FDR correction for multiple comparisons Results Data analyses revealed that trait anxiety was positively correlated with greater ALFF in the ECN (left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex - dlPFC, bilateral inferior parietal cortex - IPS, and precuneus) and lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) Higher state anxiety was correlated with lower ALFF in bilateral OFC and frontal pole GAD symptom severity was positively correlated with ALFF in the right superior temporal cortex (STG), Heschl's gyrus, and dorsomedial frontal cortex (dMFC) The GAD symptom severity was also negatively correlated with ALFF in the right hippocampus, parahippocampus and temporal pole (TP), whereas there was no significant clusters found between ALFF and neuroticism after regressing out the covariates Conclusions This is one the few studies that examined resting state neural oscillation pattern (ALFF) specific to state and trait anxiety and GAD symptoms in LLD Higher trait anxiety was associated with greater ALFF in the ECN and OFC, all of which are related to emotion regulation, whereas higher state anxiety was correlated with lower ALFF in regions related to emotion regulation Higher GAD was specifically correlated with higher ALFF in brain regions related to sound and social information processing, but with lower ALFF in regions related to memory No significant clusters were found related to neuroticism suggesting that neuroticism might be able explained by trait and state anxiety as well as GAD These results suggests a distinct neural construct that may distinguish state and trait anxiety in LLD Uncovering the brain connectivity changes related to state and trait anxiety would deepen our understanding in the neural mechanisms and mood outcomes of LLD Future studies are needed to determine differences in these networks between depressed and non-depressed individuals Funding The Leo and Anne Albert Charitable Trust, National Institute of Mental Health Grant R01 MH108578, The University of Connecticut Department of Psychiatry","Cuevas, Elisa Gonzalez, Wu, Rong, Manning, Kevin, Wang, Lihong, Steffens, David","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.047","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S52-S53, 2021.; Publication details: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry;29(4, Supplement):S52-S53, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12199,""
"Editors’ Note and Special Communication: Research Priorities in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Emerging From the COVID-19 Pandemic","","Novins, Douglas K.; Stoddard, Joel, Althoff, Robert R.; Charach, Alice, Cortese, Samuele, Cullen, Kathryn Regan, Frazier, Jean A.; Glatt, Stephen J.; Henderson, Schuyler W.; Herringa, Ryan J.; Hulvershorn, Leslie, Kieling, Christian, McBride, Anne B.; McCauley, Elizabeth, Middeldorp, Christel M.; Reiersen, Angela M.; Rockhill, Carol M.; Sagot, Adam J.; Scahill, Lawrence, Simonoff, Emily, Stewart, S. Evelyn, Szigethy, Eva, Taylor, Jerome H.; White, Tonya, Zima, Bonnie T.","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2021.03.005","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry;2021.; Publication details: Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry;2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12200,""
"Advocates praise support from new COVID-19 relief package","The House last week passed the $1 9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, garnering support, not to mention relief, from mental health advocates who are praising the billions of dollars that will fund crucial mental health and substance use services","Canady, Valerie A.","https://doi.org/10.1002/mhw.32721","","Database: COVIDWHO; Publication details: Mental Health Weekly;31(11):5-5, 2021.; Publication details: Mental Health Weekly;31(11):5-5, 2021.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12201,""
"Neurological risks and benefits of cytokine-based treatments in coronavirus disease 2019: from preclinical to clinical evidence","Immunodeficiency and hyperinflammation are responsible for the most frequent and life-threatening forms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Therefore, cytokine-based treatments targeting immuno-inflammatory mechanisms are currently undergoing clinical scrutiny in COVID-19-affected patients. In addition, COVID-19 patients also exhibit a wide range of neurological manifestations (neuro-COVID), which may also benefit from cytokine-based treatments. In fact, such drugs have shown some clinical efficacy also in neuroinflammatory diseases. On the other hand, anti-cytokine drugs are endowed with significant neurological risks, mainly attributable to their immunodepressant effects. Therefore, the aim of the present manuscript is to briefly describe the role of specific cytokines in neuroinflammation, to summarize the efficacy in preclinical models of neuroinflammatory diseases of drugs targeting these cytokines and to review the clinical data regarding the neurological effects of these drugs currently being investigated against COVID-19, in order to raise awareness about their potentially beneficial and/or detrimental neurological consequences.","Pignataro, Giuseppe; Cataldi, Mauro; Taglialatela, Maurizio","https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.15397","","Country: GB; REINO UNIDO; UNITED KINGDOM; REINO UNIDO; UK; GREAT BRITAIN; INGLATERRA; ENGLAND; ESCOCIA; SCOTLAND; Database: MEDLINE; Publication details: Br J Pharmacol;2021 Jan 29.; Publication details: Br J Pharmacol;2021 Jan 29.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12202,""
"Psychiatric impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic on US sexual and gender minority young adults","The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented isolation and mental health effects; few studies have characterized this in sexual and gender (SGM) minority young people, a particularly vulnerable population. This cross-sectional study sought to analyze the mental health outcomes of SGM young people (18-30 years) during the early stages of the pandemic in the United States (April 13-June 18, 2020) and to explore how factors related to SGM identity impact mental health, such as lifetime discrimination, family support, and pre-existing mental health conditions. An online survey collected socio-demographic information and assessed for both mental health (depression (PHQ-8), anxiety (GAD-7), PTSD (PCL-C)) and COVID-19-related outcomes (COVID-19-related worries and COVID-19-related grief). Out of 981 participants, 320 (32.6%) identified as SGM. SGM had significantly higher levels of depression and PTSD symptoms as well as COVID-19-related worries and grief than non-SGM, even after controlling for family support, lifetime discrimination, and pre-existing mental health diagnoses. These findings suggest that not only has the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted SGM mental health, but that minority stress factors cannot fully explain this impact. Thus, clinicians and societal stakeholders (schools, employers, policymakers) must think beyond traditional minority stress factors (family support, discrimination) and pre-pandemic disparities to support this vulnerable population as the pandemic progresses.","Kamal, Kanika; Li, Jason J; Hahm, Hyeouk Chris; Liu, Cindy H","https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113855","","Country: IE; IRLANDA; IRELAND; IRLANDA; Database: MEDLINE; Publication details: Psychiatry Res;299: 113855, 2021 Mar 03.; Publication details: Psychiatry Res;299: 113855, 2021 Mar 03.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12203,""
"A New Tool for Detecting COVID-19 Psychological Burden Among Postacute and Long-term Care Residents (Mood-5 Scale): Observational Study","BACKGROUND: Older adults are at high risk for developing serious somatic and psychological symptoms associated with COVID-19. Currently available instruments may not be sensitive to the concerns about COVID-19 in postacute and long-term care and their applications in telehealth remain to be clarified. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the psychometric properties of the Mood-5 Scale (M5) as a rapid self-assessment of the COVID-19 psychological burden among postacute and long-term care residents. METHODS: Residents (N=131), aged 50 years and above, from 20 postacute and long-term care facilities in Maryland, USA, were evaluated in-person or via telehealth (43/131, 32.8%) across a 4-week period (May 11 to June 5, 2020) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 psychological burden experienced by the residents was rated by geriatric psychologists who independently reviewed their clinical documentation. Psychometric analyses were performed on the M5 in relation to psychological tests, COVID-19 psychological burden, and diagnostic data collected during the evaluation. RESULTS: The M5 demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach α=.77). M5 scores were not confounded by demographic variables or telehealth administration (P>.08). Convergent validity for the M5 was established via positive associations with anxiety (r=0.56, P<.001) and depressive (r=0.49, P<.001) symptoms. An M5 cutoff score of 3 demonstrated strong sensitivity (0.92) and adequate specificity (0.75) for identifying COVID-19 psychological distress among postacute and long-term care residents (area under the curve of 0.89, positive predictive value=0.79, negative predictive value=0.91). CONCLUSIONS: The M5 is a reliable and valid tool for self-assessment of mood that can help identify postacute and long-term care residents with significant psychological burden associated with COVID-19. It can be completed in less than 1 minute and is appropriate for use in both in-person and virtual visits.","Mansbach, William E; Mace, Ryan A; Tanner, Melissa A","https://dx.doi.org/10.2196/26340","","Country: CA; CANADÃ; CANADA; CANADA; Database: MEDLINE; Publication details: JMIR Aging;4(1): e26340, 2021 Mar 10.; Publication details: JMIR Aging;4(1): e26340, 2021 Mar 10.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12204,""
"COVID-19 pandemic response behaviors: a Singapore experience of the ""circuit breaker""","Preventive health behaviors such as hand hygiene are crucial amidst pandemics like COVID-19 but reports on nonadherence persist. This could be due to the lack of Consideration of Future Consequences (CFC), a cognitive-motivational construct known to improve health-related behaviors. Therefore, we examined the relationship between CFC and five behaviors-mask-wearing, social distancing, hand hygiene, excessive necessities buying, and COVID-19 information searching using an internet-based Singapore-wide survey conducted from April 20 to May 4, 2020. Behavioral differences 2 weeks before and after the state-wide confinement were examined using paired t-tests. Relationships between CFC and COVID-19 behaviors were examined using regression analyses adjusted for depression and anxiety. Participants were regrouped into three categories-increased behavior performance, maintained high performance, and maintained low performance where mean differences were analysed using MANOVA. Three hundred and thirty-six participants completed the survey (mean age, SD = 32.9 years [SD = 12.6]; 38.7% males). CFCfuture predicted mask wearing (B = 0.16; p < .05), social distancing (B = 0.0.19; p < .01), hand hygiene (B = 0.17; p < .01), and information searching (B = 0.21; p < .001). CFCimmediate predicted hand hygiene (B = 0.09; p < .05), excessive necessities buying (B = 0.07; p < .05) and information searching (B = 0.08; p < .05). Anxiety predicted excessive buying (B = 0.08; p < .05) and hand hygiene (B = 0.13; p < .01). Post-hoc test showed significantly higher CFCfuture (p < .01) in participants who increased and maintained high behavioral performance.","Chew, Han Shi Jocelyn; Chng, Samuel","https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/tbm/ibaa135","","Country: GB; REINO UNIDO; UNITED KINGDOM; REINO UNIDO; UK; GREAT BRITAIN; INGLATERRA; ENGLAND; ESCOCIA; SCOTLAND; Database: MEDLINE; Publication details: Transl Behav Med;2021 Mar 08.; Publication details: Transl Behav Med;2021 Mar 08.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12205,""
"Health impacts of the ""Stay at Home"" order on community dwelling older adults and how technologies may help: A focus group study","BACKGROUND: Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in over 2.58 million deaths worldwide with over 500,000 of those in the US, at the time of this writing. Older adults (65 years of age) and people with underlying medical conditions are at higher risk of death. Since March 2020, preventive measures including lockdowns, social isolation, quarantine and social distancing have been implemented to reduce viral spread. These measures, while effective for risk prevention, may contribute to increased social isolation and loneliness among older adults and negatively impact mental and physical health. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to identify the impact of the ""Stay-at-Home"" order on older adults living in a Continued Care Senior Housing Community (CCSHC) in Southern California. METHODS: Methods: Four 90-minute focus groups were convened using the Zoom communications platform during May 2020 with 21 CCSHC residents participating. Participants were asked to describe how they were managing during the ""stay-at-home"" mandate that was implemented in March 2020, including impact on their physical and mental health. Transcripts of each focus group were analyzed using qualitative methods. RESULTS: Four themes emerged from the qualitative data including: 1 - Impact of Quarantine on Health and Well-Being; 2 - Communication Innovation and Technology Use; 3 - Effective Ways of Coping with Quarantine; and 4 - Improving Access to Technology and Training. Participants reported a threat to their mental and physical health directly tied to quarantine and exacerbated by social isolation and decreased physical activity. Technology was identified as a lifeline for many who are socially isolated from friends and family. CONCLUSIONS: Conclusions: Technology access, connectivity, and literacy are potential game-changers to supporting the mental and physical health of older adults and must be prioritized.","Daly, Jessica; Depp, Colin; Graham, Sarah A; Jeste, Dilip V; Kim, Ho-Cheol; Lee, Ellen E; Nebeker, Camille","https://dx.doi.org/10.2196/25779","","Country: CA; CANADÃ; CANADA; CANADA; Database: MEDLINE; Publication details: JMIR Aging;2021 Mar 07.; Publication details: JMIR Aging;2021 Mar 07.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12206,""
"Addressing the mental health impact of COVID-19 through population health","The COVID-19 pandemic has and will continue to result in negative mental health outcomes such as depression, anxiety and traumatic stress in people and populations throughout the world. A population mental health perspective informed by clinical psychology, psychiatry and dissemination and implementation science is ideally suited to address the broad, multi-faceted and long-lasting mental health impact of the pandemic. Informed by a systematic review of the burgeoning empirical research on the COVID-19 pandemic and research on prior coronavirus pandemics, we link pandemic risk factors, negative mental health outcomes and appropriate intervention strategies. We describe how social risk factors and pandemic stressors will contribute to negative mental health outcomes, especially among vulnerable populations. We evaluate the scalability of primary, secondary and tertiary interventions according to mental health target, population, modality, intensity and provider type to provide a unified strategy for meeting population mental health needs. Traditional models, in which evidence-based therapies delivered are delivered in-person, by a trained expert, at a specialty care location have proved difficult to scale. The use of non-traditional models, tailoring preventive interventions to populations based on their needs, and ongoing coordinated evaluation of intervention implementation and effectiveness will be critical to refining our efforts to increase reach.","Boden, Matt; Zimmerman, Lindsey; Azevedo, Kathryn J; Ruzek, Josef I; Gala, Sasha; Abdel Magid, Hoda S; Cohen, Nichole; Walser, Robyn; Mahtani, Naina D; Hoggatt, Katherine J; McLean, Carmen P","https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2021.102006","","Country: US; ESTADOS UNIDOS; UNITED STATES; ESTADOS UNIDOS; USA; EUA; US; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; ESTADOS UNIDOS DA AMERICA; EEUU; Database: MEDLINE; Publication details: Clin Psychol Rev;85: 102006, 2021 Mar 05.; Publication details: Clin Psychol Rev;85: 102006, 2021 Mar 05.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12207,""
"Does Post-COVID-19 symptoms exist? A longitudinal study of COVID-19 sequelae in Wenzhou, China","OBJECTIVE: We conducted a cohort of tracing discharge patients of COVID-19. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used the Mann Whitney U test, χ² test, or Fisher's exact test to compare differences between age groups and gender groups where appropriate. RESULTS: Our study provides insights into the nature and severity of medical conditions specific to survivors of COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: It also highlights the potential mental health issues resulting from infectious disease outbreaks within communities.","Zhou, Min; Cai, Jing; Sun, Wenjie; Jing, Wu; Wang, Yidong; Gamber, Michelle; Fan, Lingyan; He, Guiqing","https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amp.2021.03.003","","Country: FR; FRANÇA; FRANCE; FRANCIA; Database: MEDLINE; Publication details: Ann Med Psychol (Paris);2021 Mar 05.; Publication details: Ann Med Psychol (Paris);2021 Mar 05.; Publication type: article","WHO","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12208,""
"The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the need for community mental health-care models in Uganda","","Mwesiga, Nakasujja, Muhwezi, Musisi","https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(21)00070-5","20210319","","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12209,""
"Patients with Chronic Pain Prefer Maintenance of Pain Treatment Despite COVID-19 Pandemic Restrictions","Worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic has a significant impact on daily life. First studies describe a negative impact of pandemic stressors even on individuals without previous mental illnesses. The home lockdown and the shutdown of pain clinics make it difficult for all patients to get the healthcare they need. The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent patients with chronic pain felt affected by the pandemic and its consequences on pain treatments, focussing on the beginning of the outbreak. A prospective noninterventional study. Medical University Center . One-hundred and forty-nine patients, suffering from chronic pain, treated at a large German interdisciplinary pain center, were studied over a period of 2 months at the beginning of the pandemic. Data from patient charts and questionnaires were evaluated. Patients were asked about postponements or cancellations of pain therapy, the possible effect on pain levels, depression, anxiety and stress, and the impact of intensified hygiene measures. Results were compared to those from standardized and validated questionnaires from the same patients (German version of the depression, anxiety, and stress scale = DASS) at the time of the first contact in the pain clinic. Eighty-four (56.4%) patients reported cancelled or postponed treatments during the pandemic. Those chronic pain patients with delayed or cancelled treatments reported significantly more pain and psychological distress. The delay or discontinuation of treatments resulted in a deterioration of symptoms. From the patients' point of view this deterioration was unrelated to the timing of treatment and not secondary to increased hygiene measures. In both groups, patients showed a significant amelioration of the DASS values compared to the values they had at the beginning of treatment, despite the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on care structures. The majority of the patients do not think that the quality of pain treatment was significantly affected by the intensified hygiene requirements. The limitations of the study are the small number of patients because of the limitation to a short period of time at the beginning of the pandemic and the return rate of 40.2% of the study consents. Even in the event of a pandemic-related restriction of the care structures, patients with chronic pain benefit from pain therapy. Limitations such as the increased hygiene measures caused by the pandemic were not considered detrimental to the therapeutic measures.","Kleinmann, Abberger, Kieselbach, Wolter","https://www.google.com/search?q=Patients+with+Chronic+Pain+Prefer+Maintenance+of+Pain+Treatment+Despite+COVID-19+Pandemic+Restrictions.","20210319"," anxiety; chronic pain; depression; hygiene measures; stress; COVID-19 pandemic","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12210,""
"Hospitalizations for suicide attempt during the first COVID-19 lockdown in France","When the first lockdown was implemented to limit the spread of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), many experts alerted on the potential risk of suicide. Indeed, prolonged social isolation due to the stay-at-home directives has been associated with increased loneliness (1), known to increase suicide risk.","Olié, Nogue, Christine Picot, Courtet","https://doi.org/10.1111/acps.13296","20210319","","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12211,""
"Measuring Stress in Health Professionals over the Phone using Automatic Speech Analysis during COVID-19 Pandemic: Observational Study","During the current COVID-19 pandemic, health professionals are directly confronted with the suffering of patients and their families. By making them main actors in the management of this health crisis, they are exposed to various psychosocial risks (stress, trauma, fatigue, etc.). Paradoxically, stress-related symptoms are often underreported in this vulnerable population but are potentially detectable through passive monitoring of changes in speech behavior. This study aims to investigate the use of rapid and remote measures of stress levels in health professionals working during the COVID-19 outbreak. This was done through the analysis of their speech behavior during a short phone call conversation, and in particular a positive, negative and neutral story telling task. Speech samples of 89 healthcare professionals were collected over the phone during a positive, negative and neutral story telling task and various voice features were extracted and compared with classical stress measures via standard questionnaires. Additionally, a regression analysis was performed. Certain speech characteristics correlated with stress levels in both genders; mainly spectral (formant) features as the Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) and prosodic characteristics such as the fundamental frequency (F0) appear sensitive to stress. Overall, for both male and female participants, using vocal features from the positive tasks for regression yielded the most accurate prediction results of stress scores (MAE = 5.31). Automatic speech analysis could help with early detection of subtle signs of stress in vulnerable populations over the phone. Combining the use of this technology with timely intervention strategies, it could contribute to the prevention of burnout as well as the development of co-morbidities such as depression or anxiety.","König, Riviere, Linz, Elbaum, Fabre, Robert","https://doi.org/10.2196/24191","20210319","","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12212,""
"Older adults' experiences of technology use for socialization during the COVID-19 pandemic: A regionally representative cross-sectional survey","Background: Technology has become the most critical approach to maintain social connectedness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Older adults (over age 65) are perceived as most physiologically vulnerable to COVID-19 and at risk of secondary mental health challenges related to social isolation imposed by virus containment strategies. To mitigate concerns regarding sampling bias we used a random sampling of older adults to understand uptake and acceptance of technologies to support socialization during the pandemic. To conduct a population-based assessment of the barriers and facilitators to engaging in technology use for virtual socialization amongst older adults in the Canadian province of British Columbia during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a cross-sectional population-based regionally representative survey using random-digit dialing to participants over age 65 living in British Columbia. Data were analyzed using SPSS, with open-text responses analyzed using thematic analysis. Respondents included 400 older adults with an average age of 72 years old and 63.7% female. Most respondents (89.5%) were aware of how to use technology to connect with others and slightly more than half (56%) reported using technology differently to connect with others during the pandemic. 55.9% of respondents reported adopting new technology since the beginning of the pandemic. Older adults reported key barriers to using technology including: (1) lack of access (including finance, knowledge, and age); (2) lack of interest (including a preference for telephone, and a general lack of interest in computers); and (3) physical barriers (resultant of cognitive impairments, stroke, and arthritis). Older adults reported numerous facilitators, including: (1) knowledge of technologies (whether self-taught or via external courses); (2) reliance on others (family, friends, and general internet searching); (3) technology accessibility (including environments, user-friendly technology, and receiving clear instructions); and (4) social motivation (because everyone else is doing it). Much data on older adults use of technology is limited by sampling biases, but the current study that used random sampling demonstrated that older adults used technology to mitigate social isolation during the pandemic. Virtual socialization is most promising to mitigate potential mental health effects related to virus containment strategies. Addressing barriers by mobilizing telephone training and task lists, and mobilizing facilitators described by participants such as facilitated socialization activities are important strategies that can be implemented within and beyond the pandemic to bolster the mental health needs of older adults.","Haase, Cosco, Kervin, Riadi, O'Connell","https://doi.org/10.2196/28010","20210319","","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12213,""
"Factors Associated with Anxiety and Quality of Life of the Wuhan Populace during the COVID-19 Pandemic","In December 2019, COVID-19 broke out in Wuhan, China, affecting the mental health and quality of life (QoL) of its inhabitants. This study aimed at investigating the factors associated with anxiety and QoL in the Wuhan populace during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online questionnaire survey was carried out during July 6-10, 2020. The questionnaire collected information on demography, anxiety, QoL, and social-environmental support. The main statistical methods included descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and multivariate regression analysis. In total, 226 participants were recruited. The findings showed that females, elderly, middle-income, poor health status, shortage of medical supplies, and insufficient basic commodities were associated with anxiety significantly. Multiple regression analysis indicated that social-environmental support was significantly related to anxiety. Higher social-environmental support was significantly associated with a higher QoL. Our findings showed that the social-environmental support may reduce anxiety and improve the quality of life for those living in an area heavily affected by the pandemic. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.","Liu, Lee, Lin, Yang","https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.3040","20210319","COVID-19; anxiety; quality of life; social-environmental support","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12214,""
"Left-behind children's social adjustment and relationship with parental coping with children's negative emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic in China","Using data collected from two provinces in China through an online survey, the current study aimed to investigate left-behind children's emotional and academic adjustment during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. The participants included 1780 left-behind (960 boys) and 1500 non-left-behind (811 boys) children in elementary and junior high school with a mean age of 11.23. Self-reported questionnaires concerning children's depression, loneliness, anxiety, and academic adjustment, and parents' coping with children's negative emotions were completed. The results suggested that compared with non-left-behind children, left-behind children's depression and anxiety symptoms were more severe and their academic adjustment was poorer. However, left-behind children had lower levels of loneliness than non-left-behind children. Additionally, supportive coping types, especially emotion-focused and problem-focused reactions, were significantly negatively correlated with children's depression and anxiety. Unsupportive coping types, especially distress and punitive reactions, were significantly positively correlated with children's depression and anxiety symptoms. Moreover, the relationships between punitive reactions and depression, ignoring and loneliness and problem-focused reactions and academic adjustment were significantly stronger in left-behind children. Hence, during the pandemic, left-behind children were still at a disadvantage even with their parents' company. However, parents' coping style towards left-behind children's negative emotions played a significant role in their adjustment.","Wang, Liu, Wang, Lin, Lin, Wang","https://doi.org/10.1002/ijop.12754","20210319","Academic adjustment; COVID-19 pandemic; Emotional adjustment; Left-behind children; Parental coping with children's negative emotions","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12215,""
"The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and daily life of adults with behavioral health disorders","People with behavioral health disorders may be particularly vulnerable to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet little is known about how they are faring. A mixed-methods, anonymous needs assessment was conducted to understand changes in the lives of adults with mental health and substance use disorders since the pandemic onset. A cross-sectional, online survey was completed by 272 adults in April and May 2020, recruited from statewide networks of community programs in New Jersey and New York. Measures included the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 to screen for depressive and anxiety disorders. Also assessed was the pandemic's impact on sleep and dietary patterns, exposure to COVID-19 infection, and access to health care and medications. Finally, respondents were asked to describe in their own words any changes in their lives since the pandemic began. Over one-third (35.1%) screened positive for generalized anxiety disorder and over one-quarter (29.6%) screened positive for major depressive disorder. The majority reported pandemic-related changes in eating and sleeping patterns and exposure to COVID-19 infection. Multivariable logistic regression analysis found that many changes attributed to the pandemic were positively and significantly associated with screening positive for anxiety and depressive disorders. Qualitative analysis confirmed these findings and identified participants' resilience stemming from social support, emotion management, and self-care. These results can inform the design of services that assist this population to bolster self-management skills and reestablish daily habits to improve their lives during and following the pandemic.","Jonikas, Cook, Swarbrick, Nemec, Steigman, Boss, Brice","https://doi.org/10.1093/tbm/ibab013","20210319","Behavioral health; COVID-19 pandemic; Mental health","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12216,""
"Take-a-Break Intervention: Improving Oncology Nurse Wellness","Staff stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue related to increasing demands of oncology care have been further compounded by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ambulatory oncology nursing care, with a central focus on the collaborative partnership with patients and families, requires cultivation of the caring and healing environment. The relationships that the oncology nurse has with self, colleagues, and the community support safe, high-quality, and patient- and family-centered oncology care. To foster a caring environment, Take-a-Break, a well-being intervention for oncology clinic nurses, was designed, implemented, and promoted by an oncology clinic nurse and an ambulatory oncology mental health advanced practice RN.","Rettig, Moore, Savona, Scala","https://doi.org/10.1188/21.CJON.210-214","20210319","burnout; oncology nursing; self-care; stress; wellness; work breaks","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12217,""
"Covid-19 Restrictive Measures: A Theoretical Exploration of Defiant Attitudes","The aim of this paper is to explore defiant attitudes to Covid-19 restrictions against a backdrop of Health Behaviour Theories, so as to gain further understanding of such behaviour and target it accordingly. In an attempt to limit the mortality and morbidity of the pandemic, health authorities are encouraging and enforcing the adherence to restrictive measures. Still, defiant attitudes persist. Possible reasons for these attitudes include an unappreciation of possible consequences and feelings of helplessness. The psychiatric nurse has a specific toolkit that is crucial in addressing these thought processes and behaviours-this shall be explored.","Grech, Grech","https://doi.org/10.1080/01612840.2021.1894619","20210319","","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12218,""
"Brief Report: The Impact of COVID-19 on Emergency Department Overdose Diagnoses and County Overdose Deaths","We sought to understand the impact of COVID-19 on emergency department (ED) overdoses and county coroner verified overdose deaths. Electronic medical health record and county coroner data were gathered and comparisons were made between three 16-week time periods. In the three time periods, 873 individuals had an overdose diagnosis in the ED and 440 individuals in the county died of drug overdose. While total ED patient volume decreased substantially, the number of ED overdose patients increased between March 6 and June 25, 2020. Furthermore, during this same period, coroner data revealed an increase in overdose deaths. This preliminary evidence provides a key insight into the impact of COVID-19 on both overdose presentations to the ED and county overdose deaths. These results emphasize the critical need for increasing vigilance to prevent overdose by continuously developing and optimizing both accessible and quality treatment as we navigate through this pandemic and its ongoing effects on persons with substance use disorder. (Am J Addict 2021;00:00-00).","Shreffler, Shoff, Thomas, Huecker","https://doi.org/10.1111/ajad.13148","20210319","","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12219,""
"Internet Addiction Increases in the General Population During COVID-19: Evidence From China","COVID-19-related quarantine and stress have likely escalated the crisis of Internet addiction. This study aimed to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Internet use and related risk factors among the general public in China. A large-sample cross-sectional online survey was conducted from March 24 to April 30, 2020, in China, and 20,472 participants completed the survey. We investigated the prevalence and severity of Internet addiction based on the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), and explored the risk factors related to increases in time spent on Internet use and severity of Internet addiction, as well as severe Internet addiction. The overall prevalence of Internet addiction was 36.7% among the general population during the pandemic, and that of severe Internet addiction was 2.8%, according to IAT scores. Time spent on recreational Internet use had significantly increased during the pandemic, and almost half of participants reported increases in the severity of Internet addiction. Risk factors for increases in time spent on Internet use and severity of Internet addiction and severe Internet addiction included having fewer social supporters, perceiving pressure and impact on mental health status due to COVID-19, and being over-engaged in playing videogames. The COVID-19 pandemic adversely impacted Internet use and increased the prevalence and severity of Internet addiction among the general population in China, especially in vulnerable populations. This study provides evidence for policymakers to refine public health policies to control the pandemic and make efforts to provide population-specific prevention and interventions for people at risk of developing Internet addiction. (Am J Addict 2021;00:00-00).","Li, Sun, Meng, Bao, Cheng, Chang, Ran, Sun, Kosten, Strang, Lu, Shi","https://doi.org/10.1111/ajad.13156","20210319","","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12220,""
"Wellbeing of CAMHS staff and changes in working practices during the COVID-19 pandemic","The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has necessitated significant changes in working practices across healthcare services. The current study aimed to assess the wellbeing of health professionals and quantify the adaptations to working practices in a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) during the pandemic. The study was conducted in a UK CAMH team six weeks into lockdown measures. All clinicians were invited to complete a survey eliciting their experiences of working practices during the pandemic, degree of worry about the virus and mental wellbeing. Clinicians had significantly lower levels of mental wellbeing during the pandemic than population normative data, to the extent that some clinicians were classified as at heightened risk of depression. A significant shift to remote working, reduction in face-to-face appointments, and decrease in clinicians' perceived ability to undertake clinical tasks was observed. Themes emerging from clinicians' experiences of working during the pandemic include being supported within the team, providing a service, working adaptations, and working as a team. A further theme highlights the needs of clinicians to complete their clinical role effectively. CAMHS clinicians require additional support, training, and guidance during a pandemic to promote mental wellbeing and effectiveness in completing clinical tasks.","Bentham, Driver, Stark","https://doi.org/10.1111/jcap.12311","20210319","COVID-19; remote working; wellbeing; working practice; worry","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12221,""
"Worries, attitudes, and mental health of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: Canadian and US perspectives","Differences in older adults' worry, attitudes, and mental health between high-income countries with diverging pandemic responses are largely unknown. We compared COVID-19 worry, attitudes towards governmental responses, and self-reported mental health symptoms among adults aged ≥55 in the United States and Canada early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Online cross-sectional survey administered between April 2nd and May 31st in the United States and between May 1st and June 30th, 2020 in Canada. Nationally in the United States and Canada. Convenience sample of older adults aged ≥55. Likert-type scales measured COVID-19 worry and attitudes towards government support. Three standardized scales assessed mental health symptoms: the eight-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, the five-item Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the three-item UCLA loneliness scale. There were 4453 U.S. respondents (71.7% women; mean age 67.5) and 1549 Canadian (67.6% women; mean age 69.3). More U.S. respondents (71%) were moderately or extremely worried about the pandemic, compared to 52% in Canada. Just 20% of U.S. respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the federal government cared about older adults in their COVID-19 pandemic response, compared to nearly two-thirds of Canadians (63%). U.S. respondents were more likely to report elevated depressive and anxiety symptoms compared to Canadians; 34.2% (32.8-35.6) versus 25.6% (23.3-27.8) for depressive and 30.8% (29.5-32.2) versus 23.7% (21.6-25.9) for anxiety symptoms. The proportion of United States and Canadian respondents who reported loneliness was similar. A greater proportion of women compared to men reported symptoms of depression and anxiety across all age groups in both countries. U.S. older adults felt less supported by their federal government and had elevated depressive and anxiety symptoms compared to older adults in Canada during early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health messaging from governments should be clear, consistent, and incorporate support for mental health.","Reppas-Rindlisbacher, Finlay, Mahar, Siddhpuria, Hallet, Rochon, Kobayashi","https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.17105","20210319","COVID-19; government; mental health; older adults; pandemic response","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12222,""
"2019-nCOV distress and depressive, anxiety and OCD-type, and eating disorder symptoms among postpartum and control women","This study compared postpartum and control women on depressive, anxiety, and OCD-type symptoms, and eating disorder symptoms during the 2019-nCOV pandemic and evaluated if associations between 2019-nCOV distress and these mental health symptoms differed for postpartum compared to control women. A community sample of women, ages 18-39, who had either given birth in the past 12 months (n = 232) or had no pregnancy history (n = 137; controls), was recruited to complete an online survey about their depressive, anxiety, OCD, and eating disorder symptoms. Postpartum women reported greater OCD-type symptoms related to concerns about both contamination and responsibility for harm (ps < .05) compared to controls. After controlling for general stress and mental health history, the association between 2019-nCOV distress and OCD-type symptoms related to concerns about contamination was stronger among postpartum compared to control women (ps < .002). For all women, 2019-nCOV distress was positively related to general anxiety symptoms, total OCD-type symptoms, and OCD-type symptoms related to concerns about responsibility for harm after controlling for general stress and mental health history (ps < .03). Data are first to suggest postpartum women may be at elevated risk for OCD-type symptoms during 2019-nCOV pandemic, and pandemic distress is associated with anxiety and OCD-type symptoms among postpartum women more so than control women.","Thompson, Bardone-Cone","https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-021-01120-9","20210319","Anxiety; Coronavirus; Depressive symptoms; Eating disorder; OCD-type symptoms; Postpartum women","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12223,""
"Maintaining Momentum in Infant Mental Health Research During COVID-19: Adapting Observational Assessments","Understanding the potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the developing parent-infant relationship is a priority, especially for medically-fragile infants and their caregivers who face distinct challenges and stressors. Observational assessments can provide important insights into parent-child behaviors and relational risk; however, stay-at-home directives and physical distancing measures associated with COVID-19 have significantly limited opportunities for in-person observational parent-infant assessment. To maintain momentum in our research program during the pandemic, we rapidly pivoted to remote, technology-assisted parent-infant observational assessments. In this commentary, we offer a series of strategies and recommendations to assist researchers in adapting observational parent-infant paradigms. We also discuss the benefits, challenges, and limitations of distance-delivered assessments, and offer considerations for clinical service provision and future research during and post the COVID-19 pandemic. .","Tesson, Swinsburg, Kasparian","https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsab020","20210319","COVID-19; infancy and early childhood; infant mental health; parent-child relationship; parenting; psychological functioning; research design and methodology","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12224,""
"Neuropsychiatric and Cognitive Sequelae of COVID-19","Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is likely to have long-term mental health effects on individuals who have recovered from COVID-19. Rightly, there is a global response for recognition and planning on how to deal with mental health problems for everyone impacted by the global pandemic. This does not just include COVID-19 patients but the general public and health care workers as well. There is also a need to understand the role of the virus itself in the pathophysiology of mental health disorders and longer-term mental health sequelae. Emerging evidence suggests that COVID-19 patients develop neurological symptoms such as headache, altered consciousness, and paraesthesia. Brain tissue oedema and partial neurodegeneration have also been observed in an autopsy. In addition, there are reports that the virus has the potential to cause nervous system damage. Together, these findings point to a possible role of the virus in the development of acute psychiatric symptoms and long-term neuropsychiatric sequelae of COVID-19. The brain pathologies associated with COVID-19 infection is likely to have a long-term impact on cognitive processes. Evidence from other viral respiratory infections, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), suggests a potential development of psychiatric disorders, long-term neuropsychiatric disorders, and cognitive problems. In this paper, we will review and evaluate the available evidence of acute and possible long-term neuropsychiatric manifestations of COVID-19. We will discuss possible pathophysiological mechanisms and the implications this will have on preparing a long-term strategy to monitor and manage such patients.","Kumar, Veldhuis, Malhotra","https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.577529","20210319","cognition; coronavirus disease 2019; depression; mental health; neuropsychiatric disease","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12225,""
"Emotional Wellbeing in Saudi Arabia During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Survey","This study aims to evaluate the overall emotional wellbeing and emotional predictors of the Saudi population during COVID-19. A cross-sectional design was employed; the data were collected by using the Arabic version of the Mental Health Inventory. A total of 5041 participants were successfully recruited over 1 week. The participants scored moderately on Anxiety, Depression, Loss of Behavioral/Emotional Control, General Positive Affect, Emotional Ties, and Life Satisfaction. The results indicated that age, gender, marital status, socioeconomic status, and having chronic health conditions are major predictors of emotional wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. A rehabilitation program should be initiated to restore the community function and the wellbeing of individuals who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.","Al Mutair, Alhajji, Shamsan","https://doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S279716","20210319","COVID-19; Saudi Arabia; anxiety; depression; emotional wellbeing","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12226,""
"Lifelines COVID-19 cohort: investigating COVID-19 infection and its health and societal impacts in a Dutch population-based cohort","The Lifelines COVID-19 cohort was set up to assess the psychological and societal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and investigate potential risk factors for COVID-19 within the Lifelines prospective population cohort. Participants were recruited from the 140 000 eligible participants of Lifelines and the Lifelines NEXT birth cohort, who are all residents of the three northern provinces of the Netherlands. Participants filled out detailed questionnaires about their physical and mental health and experiences on a weekly basis starting in late March 2020, and the cohort consists of everyone who filled in at least one questionnaire in the first 8 weeks of the project. FINDINGS TO DATE: >71 000 unique participants responded to the questionnaires at least once during the first 8 weeks, with >22 000 participants responding to seven questionnaires. Compiled questionnaire results are continuously updated and shared with the public through the Corona Barometer website. Early results included a clear signal that younger people living alone were experiencing greater levels of loneliness due to lockdown, and subsequent results showed the easing of anxiety as lockdown was eased in June 2020. Questionnaires were sent on a (bi)weekly basis starting in March 2020 and on a monthly basis starting July 2020, with plans for new questionnaire rounds to continue through 2020 and early 2021. Questionnaire frequency can be increased again for subsequent waves of infections. Cohort data will be used to address how the COVID-19 pandemic developed in the northern provinces of the Netherlands, which environmental and genetic risk factors predict disease susceptibility and severity and the psychological and societal impacts of the crisis. Cohort data are linked to the extensive health, lifestyle and sociodemographic data held for these participants by Lifelines, a 30-year project that started in 2006, and to data about participants held in national databases.","Mc Intyre, Lanting, Deelen, Wiersma, Vonk, Ori, Jankipersadsing, Warmerdam, van Blokland, Boulogne, Dijkema, Herkert, Claringbould, Bakker, Lopera Maya, Bültmann, Zhernakova, Reijneveld, Zijlstra, Swertz, Brouwer, van Ooijen, Angelini, Dekker, Sijtsma, Scherjon, Wijmenga, Dekens, Mierau, Boezen, Franke","https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044474","20210319","COVID-19; epidemiology; genetics; mental health; public health","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12227,""
"Metro and elderly health in Hong Kong: protocol for a natural experiment study in a high-density city","Public transport accessible to older people may offer a transformative solution to achieving healthy ageing. However, the evidence to support such transport infrastructure modifications is unclear. Previous studies on public transport use and elderly health were mostly observational studies using cross-sectional data. Few studies have examined the before-and-after effects of a new metro, for example, to see if it leads to improved elderly health. We use a new metro line in Hong Kong as a natural experiment to examine the impact of the metro-led public transport intervention on elderly health. In Hong Kong, more than 90% of daily travels are made by public transport. The public transport modifications consist of the new metro line with eight stations and changes in the walking environment and bus services around the stations. We will look at the before-and-after differences in public transport use and health outcomes between elderly participants living in treatment neighbourhoods (400 m walking buffered areas of the new metro stations) and in control groups (living in comparable areas but unaffected by the new metro). Questionnaire-based baseline data were collected in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, while some qualitative interviews are ongoing. Amid the pandemic, we conducted a quick telephone-based survey of COVID-19's potential impact on public transport use behaviours of our elderly cohort in September 2020. Note there is no lockdown in Hong Kong until the writing of the paper (January 2021). After the new metro opens, we will conduct a follow-up survey, tentatively in late 2022. We aim to investigate if the new metro and the associated changes in the built environment have any effects on public transport use behaviours, physical activity and wider health outcomes among the elderly (eg, social inclusion, quality of life, subjective well-being). The Human Research Ethics Committee of the University of Hong Kong reviewed and approved the study procedures and materials (reference number: EA1710040). Results will be communicated through scientific papers and research reports.","Sun, Du, Ni, Zhao, Webster","https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043983","20210319","mental health; public health; statistics & research methods","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12228,""
"Potential impact of physical distancing on physical and mental health: a rapid narrative umbrella review of meta-analyses on the link between social connection and health","The imperative for physical distancing (mostly referred to as social distancing) during COVID-19 pandemic may deteriorate physical and mental health. We aimed at summarising the strength of evidence in the published literature on the association of physical and mental health with social connection via social isolation, living alone and loneliness. We conducted a systematic search in April 2020 to identify meta-analyses using the Medline, PsycINFO and Web of Science databases. The search strategy included terms of social isolation, loneliness, living alone and meta-analysis. Eligible meta-analyses needed to report any sort of association between an indicator of social connection and any physical or mental health outcome. The findings were summarised in a narrative synthesis. Twenty-five meta-analyses met our criteria, of which 10 focused on physical health and 15 on mental health outcomes. The results suggest that lack of social connection is associated with chronic physical symptoms, frailty, coronary heart disease, malnutrition, hospital readmission, reduced vaccine uptake, early mortality, depression, social anxiety, psychosis, cognitive impairment in later life and suicidal ideation. The existing evidence clearly indicates that social connection is associated with a range of poor physical and mental health outcomes. A potential negative impact on these outcomes needs to be considered in future decisions on physical distancing measures.","Morina, Kip, Hoppen, Priebe, Meyer","https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-042335","20210319","health & safety; health policy; mental health; public health; risk management","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12229,""
"Effect of chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs) on the sleep of Brazilians during the COVID-19 pandemic","This study aimed to investigate the effect of Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases (CNCDs) on the onset or increase in sleep problems during the COVID-19 pandemic period. The role of the report of sadness or nervousness during the pandemic was also evaluated as a mediator of this association. Data from a behavior survey during COVID-19, conducted in Brazil with 45,161 people (18 years old or older), from April 24 to May 24, 2020, were used. The outcome variable was the onset or increase in sleep problems, and the exposure variable was the presence of CNCDs. The adjusted Odds Ratio of the association between CNCDs and sleep was estimated, and a mediation analysis was performed to test the effect of the report of sadness or nervousness on this association, using the Karlson Holm Breen method. The increase in sleep problems was reported by 44.9% of the population, and 33.9% reported at least one CNCD. The chance of sleep problems was higher among people with diabetes (1.34; 1.05-1.71), hypertension (1.26; 1.06-1.50), and with coronary heart diseases (1.36; 1.13-1.65) or respiratory diseases (1.42; 1.04-1.93). Compared to people without CNCDs, individuals with at least one CNCD had a 36% greater chance of impaired sleep (1.36; 1.19-1.55). The report of sadness or nervousness explained 45.1% of the association between CNCD and sleep. Our findings alert us to care for the emotional state and sleep of chronic patients during the waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, and indicate the need for sleep monitoring in this population.","Lima, Malta, Werneck, Szwarcwald, Souza, Gomes, Damacena, da Silva de Almeida, Barros","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2021.02.052","20210319","COVID-19; Chronic non-communicable diseases; Mental health; Sleep","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12230,""
"COVID-19-related prescribing challenge in intellectual disability","The COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions are expected to affect the mental health of the population, especially people with intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorder, because of a variety of biological and psychosocial reasons. This study aimed to estimate if COVID-19 restrictions are associated with a change in number of total consultations carried out by psychiatrists and prescription of psychotropic medication in people with intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorder, within a community intellectual disability service. A quantitative observational study was conducted, involving retrospective and prospective data collection before and during lockdown. Data was collected on a spreadsheet and emailed to all psychiatrists working within the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust-wide community intellectual disability service. Variables included total consultations, medication interventions, types of medications used, multidisciplinary team input and clinical reasons for medication interventions. Data was analysed separately for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and adult intellectual disability teams, and for the whole service. During the lockdown period, total consultations in the community intellectual disability service increased by 19 per week and medication interventions increased by two per week. Multidisciplinary team input increased in CAMHS from 0.17 to 0.71 per week and in adult intellectual disability from 5.7 to 6.5 per week. Hypnotics and benzodiazepines were the most commonly prescribed psychotropic medications during the lockdown period. COVID-19-related lockdown resulted in an increase in medication interventions, total consultations and involvement of multidisciplinary teams to manage mental health and behavioural issues in people with intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorder.","Rauf, Sheikh, Majid, Roy, Pathania","https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2021.26","20210319","COVID-19; Intellectual disability; autism spectrum disorders; lockdown; psychotropic medications","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12231,""
"Investigating the effect of COVID-19 dissemination on symptoms of anxiety and depression among university students","Evidence about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of specific subpopulations, such as university students, is needed as communities prepare for future waves. To study the association of proximity of COVID-19 with symptoms of anxiety and depression in university students. This trend study analysed weekly cross-sectional surveys of probabilistic samples of students from the University of British Columbia for 13 weeks, through the first wave of COVID-19. The main variable assessed was propinquity of COVID-19, defined as 'knowing someone who tested positive for COVID-19', which was specified at different levels: knowing someone anywhere globally, in Canada, in Vancouver, in their course or at home. Proximity was included in multivariable linear regressions to assess its association with primary outcomes, including 30-day symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. Of 1388 respondents (adjusted response rate of 50%), 5.6% knew someone with COVID-19 in Vancouver, 0.8% in their course and 0.3% at home. Ten percent were overwhelmed and unable to access help. Knowing someone in Vancouver was associated with an 11-percentage-point increase in the probability of 30-day anxiety symptoms (s.e. 0.05, P ≤ 0.05), moderated by gender, with a significant interaction of the exposure and being female (coefficient -20, s.e. 0.09, P ≤ 0.05). No association was found with depressive symptoms. Propinquity of COVID-19 cases may increase the likelihood of anxiety symptoms in students, particularly among men. Most students reported coping well, but additional support is needed for an emotionally overwhelmed minority who report being unable to access help.","Vigo, Jones, Munthali, Pei, Westenberg, Munro, Judkowicz, Wang, Van den Adel, Dulai, Krausz, Auerbach, Bruffaerts, Yatham, Gadermann, Rush, Xie, Pendakur, Richardson","https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2021.24","20210319","COVID-19; Psychiatric epidemiology; anxiety disorders; depressive disorders; student population","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12232,""
"Mental Health Support in the Transplantation Workforce: What Can We Learn From the COVID-19 Pandemic?","Burnout (defined as a state of depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, and a sense of reduced achievement) is a risk to all health care workers. The transplantation workforce not only faces the same challenges but also many others linked to the unique work and setting in which they deliver health care. In the past, the mental health care of the transplantation workforce has been sidelined, rather than prioritized. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has not only compromised the safe delivery of transplant organs worldwide but has magnified the challenges for the transplantation workforce. especially with the high mortality in transplant patients who are infected with SARS-CoV-2. This review addresses the challenges to the mental well-being and psychological health of health care providers, both generally and within the sphere of transplantation, and not only highlights some of the inadequacies but also proposes strategies to establish psychological interventions that could benefit health care professionals within transplantation.","Fernando, Reynolds, Izzy, Kirchner, Wren, Spiro","https://doi.org/10.6002/ect.2020.0458","20210319","","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12233,""
"Coronavirus Pandemic: Mood Statuses of Renal Transplant Recipients During Social Isolation and Lockdown Periods","In an attempt to control the new coronavirus pandemic, many countries have taken unprecedented measures, such as extensive social distancing and total lockdowns of cities. Kidney transplant recipients have an increased risk for infectious diseases, including viral infections. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of population-wide infection control measures on the mood statuses of kidney transplant recipients. We used an electronic survey tool to collect demographic and sociocultural data. Additionally, in the same survey, we used 2 questionnaires (the Profile of Mood States and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) to measure mood statuses of kidney transplant recipients. We also examined a control group and selected eligible participants according to age- and sex-based propensity score matching. We analyzed the data of 308 participants: 154 kidney transplant recipients (mean age of 39.9 ± 10.6 years; 57.1% male) and 154 control participants (mean age of 39.1 ± 10.5; 57.1% male). With regard to the Profile of Mood States questionnaire, total scores and all subscale scores, excluding vigor, were significantly lower in kidney transplant recipients than in the control group, a finding consistent with a better mood status. We found similar findings in anxiety and depression scores for the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale questionnaire. Kidney transplant recipients seem to be resilient to the psychological stress induced by social distancing and lockdown periods. Strict adherence to infection control measures is purposefully suggested in this infection-prone population.","Ozcan, Poyraz, Bakir, Trabulus, Pekmezci, Seyahi","https://doi.org/10.6002/ect.2020.0488","20210319","","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12234,""
"The psychological experiences of Lebanese ground zero front-line nurses during the most recent COVID-19 outbreak post Beirut blast: A qualitative study","For the past 2 months the number of COVID-19 cases in Lebanon has been on the rise, while frontline nurses after the Beirut Blast of August 4th have been practicing through limited resources and a challenging context. This paper aims at exploring the psychological experiences of Lebanese frontline nurses serving at ground zero hospital during the current COVID-19 outbreak. This study was carried out in three main ground-zero hospitals in Beirut which are receiving COVID-19 cases. This study have employed a phenomenological exploratory qualitative research design, where virtual interviews were conducted with 18 frontline nurses during the second week of January 2021. Thematic analysis of the data expressed by the frontline nurses working in the approached ground-zero hospitals gave rise to five themes, namely 'helplessness and impending doom', 'increased mortality rates and depressive mood', 'fear of death and obsessive thinking', 'flashbacks, panic, and incompetence', and 'public recklessness, governmental responsibility, and anger'. The frontline nurses working at ground zero hospitals in Beirut are facing significant psychological challenges that should be mediated by the government and health policymakers in order to safeguard the quality of care and avoid higher mortality rates.","Fawaz, Itani","https://doi.org/10.1177/00207640211004989","20210319","Beirut blast; COVID-19; Corona virus; frontline nurses; psychology; qualitative","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12235,""
"War in the COVID-19 era: Mental health concerns in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh","","Markosian, Layne, Petrosyan, Shekherdimian, Kennedy, Khachadourian","https://doi.org/10.1177/00207640211003940","20210319","","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12236,""
"Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on heatstroke-related ambulance dispatch in the 47 prefectures of Japan","In 2020, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought a huge impact in daily life and has prompted people to take preventive measures. In the summertime, however, the Japanese government has cautioned that some COVID-19 pandemic conditions may affect the risk to heatstroke. This study investigated how the COVID-19 pandemic setting affected heatstroke-related ambulance dispatches (HSAD). Daily HSAD data and relevant weather parameters from June to September from 2016 to 2020 of 47 prefectures in Japan were obtained from the Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA) database. A binary variable representing COVID-19 impact was created, whereby years 2016 to 2019 were coded as 0, while 2020 as 1. We employed a two-stage analysis in elucidating the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on HSAD. Firstly, we regressed HSAD with the COVID-19 binary variable after adjusting for relevant covariates to obtain prefecture-specific effect estimates. Prefecture-specific estimates were subsequently pooled via random effects meta-analysis in generating the pooled estimate. Pooled Relative Risk (RR) of HSAD during the COVID-19 pandemic was 0.78 (95% Confidential Interval [CI], 0.75-0.82). We found an overall statistically significant decrease in HSAD risk during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. Specifically, the decrease in the risk of HSAD may be linked to the COVID-19 precautionary measures such as stay-home request and availability of alternative consultation services, which may have decreased the direct exposure of the population to extreme heat.","Hatakeyama, Ota, Takahashi, Kawamitsu, Seposo","https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145176","20210319","Ambulance dispatch; COVID-19; Heatstroke; Precautionary measure; Protective effects","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12237,""
"Social isolation, mental health, and use of digital interventions in youth during the COVID-19 pandemic: A nationally representative survey","Public health measures to curb SARS-CoV-2 transmission rates may have negative psychosocial consequences in youth. Digital interventions may help to mitigate these effects. We investigated the associations between social isolation, COVID-19-related cognitive preoccupation, worries, and anxiety, objective social risk indicators, and psychological distress, as well as use of, and attitude toward, mobile health (mHealth) interventions in youth. Data were collected as part of the "Mental Health And Innovation During COVID-19 Survey"-a cross-sectional panel study including a representative sample of individuals aged 16-25 years (N = 666; Mage = 21.3; assessment period: May 5, 2020 to May 16, 2020). Overall, 38% of youth met criteria for moderate or severe psychological distress. Social isolation worries and anxiety, and objective risk indicators were associated with psychological distress, with evidence of dose-response relationships for some of these associations. For instance, psychological distress was progressively more likely to occur as levels of social isolation increased (reporting "never" as reference group: "occasionally": adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 9.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.3-19.1, p < 0.001; "often": aOR 22.2, CI 9.8-50.2, p < 0.001; "very often": aOR 42.3, CI 14.1-126.8, p < 0.001). There was evidence that psychological distress, worries, and anxiety were associated with a positive attitude toward using mHealth interventions, whereas psychological distress, worries, and anxiety were associated with actual use. Public health measures during pandemics may be associated with poor mental health outcomes in youth. Evidence-based digital interventions may help mitigate the negative psychosocial impact without risk of viral infection given there is an objective need and subjective demand.","Rauschenberg, Schick, Goetzl, Roehr, Riedel-Heller, Koppe, Durstewitz, Krumm, Reininghaus","https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.17","20210319","COVID-19; Social isolation; Social risk; Youth mental health; mHealth","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12238,""
""The Times They Are a-Changin'": Addressing Common Misconceptions About the Role of Safe Supply in North America's Overdose Crisis","","Bonn, Palayew, Bartlett, Brothers, Touesnard, Tyndall","https://www.google.com/search?q="The+Times+They+Are+a-Changin'":+Addressing+Common+Misconceptions+About+the+Role+of+Safe+Supply+in+North+America's+Overdose+Crisis.","20210319","COVID-19; HIV Infections; Hepatitis C; Humans; North America; Pharmaceutical Preparations; SARS-CoV-2; Syndemic","PubMed","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12239,""
"Predictors and rates of PTSD, depression and anxiety in UK frontline health and social care workers during COVID-19","","","https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2021.1882781","20210101","","Scopus","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12240,""
"Coping in the Covid-19 pandemia: how different resources and strategies can be risk or protective factors to mental health in the Brazilian population","","","https://doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2021.1897595","20210101","","Scopus","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12241,""
"Psychological impact of covid-19 confinement towards a new anxiety-depressive clinimetric construct in adult women of azogues","","","https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4542465","20200101","","Scopus","Undecided","","","","","","","","","","","","","False","False","","","","","False","False","False","","2021-03-20","",12242,""