O-03 Trends in New Psychiatric Diagnoses in Persons During Peri-pandemic Periods at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.
Author(s):
T Griffith, E Nickram-Vallidum
Year of Presentation:
2024
Objective: To undertake a descriptive survey of individuals with newly diagnosed psychiatric disorders at the GPHC Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic during the peri-pandemic period 2019-2021.
Methods: This retrospective observational study was conducted assessing the period March 11th, 2020, to May 6th, 2020, with controls from the same period in 2019 and 2021. A total of 224 charts were reviewed. Variables extracted included patient demographics and psychiatric diagnoses.
Results: The average number of patients in 2020 (M=5.6, SD = 2.9) was lower compared to both 2019 (M=11.9, SD = 2.9) and 2021 (M=10.5, SD = 3.4), with mean differences of -6.25 (p=0.007, 95% CI[-10.955, -1.545]) and -4.875 (p=0.041,95% CI[9.580, -0.170]) respectively. Substance Related and Addictive Disorders (26.3%, 33.3%, 28.6%), Schizophrenia Spectrum and other Psychotic Disorders (22.1%, 28.9%, 11.9%) and Depressive Disorders (23.2%, 8.9%, 15.5%) represented the most prevalent new psychiatric diagnoses given to patients in 2019,2020,2021 respectively (p=0.021. In 2020 more men 73.3%) were given new psychiatric diagnoses than in 2019 (55.8%) and 2021 (46.4%) (p=0.013).
Conclusion: During the initial stages of the pandemic new psychiatric presentations decreased when compared to similar periods in 2019 and 2021 likely due to the lockdown measures imposed by Governments, the infection and death rates, hospital limitations to ‘emergency cases’ only and fear of contamination.