Experts, stating that there has been an increase in the types of mental disorders during the coronavirus epidemic, which has been effective in our country since March, point out that diseases such as depression, panic attacks, bipolar and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) are the most severe. Experts said that attacks were seen in some patients who could not receive medical assistance within the scope of coronavirus outbreak measures.
Üsküdar University NPİSTANBUL Brain Hospital Psychiatry Specialist Assoc. Dr. Nermin Gündüz pointed out that along with the pandemic process, the variety of mental disorders and the severity of the disorders in existing patients increased.
There has been a serious increase in mental illness types
Stating that we are in a process that we have not been able to prevent since March and we do not know how long it will continue and more importantly, Psychiatrist Assoc. Dr. Nermin Gündüz said, "Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have seen a significant increase in the diversity of our patients or those who have had a new first episode mental illness."
Reminding that some restrictions were imposed on reaching hospitals during the pandemic period, Assoc. Dr. Nermin Gündüz said, “Patients are not accepted without an appointment in state hospitals. This was a process that made it difficult for patients to reach a doctor and make an appointment. Actually, this application had a very logical reason. The underlying reason was to prevent this epidemic from increasing more during the pandemic period, patients not coming to the hospital environment unless it is necessary, and thus preventing the epidemic from growing further. This practice of the Ministry of Health was also recommended by the World Health Organization.
Attacks started because they could not get medical help
Noting that the patient group with mental retardation and mental retardation can hardly reach the physician during the pandemic period, Assoc. Dr. Nermin Gündüz said, “These patients were the group who had difficulties in obtaining appropriate medical services in other fields within the health system other than psychiatry. Therefore, especially schizophrenia, psychotic disorders group, groups of bipolar disorder, groups with mental and behavioral disorders, as well as patient groups that we constantly follow due to dementia, were negatively affected by this situation. When the patient groups cannot reach their physicians and consequently the appropriate prescription, when they cannot get their medication prescribed, they start to have attacks because they have biopsychosocial disorders. However, as the number of existing psychiatry services, polyclinics and physicians was significantly reduced, these people could not receive the necessary appropriate medical assistance and serious health problems occurred ”.
Number of patients with panic attacks increased
Stating that it is not known how long the pandemic process will continue, Assoc. Dr. Noting that this condition increases anxiety and anxiety disorders, Nermin Gündüz said:
“Therefore, this uncertainty makes people prone to anxiety and anxiety disorders. Because the human mind wants to find an answer if there is a question, the brain does not tolerate uncertainty. He wants everything to be certain and he doesn't want to worry about the future within that specific framework, he wants to plan. During this period, which we know that uncertainty continues, we have seen a serious increase in anxiety disorders. In the first place, there was a serious increase in the number of patients who had panic attacks. In particular, we have a group of patients who progress with mental health deterioration such as schizophrenia. These patients experience delusions that cause them to accept non-normal events as if they have happened and cling to the reality of it 100 percent. We also saw situations about Covid-19 in his delusions. There are also groups of patients who claim to be an inventor and have found the vaccine for the coronavirus and have visual hallucinations related to Covid-19. The reflection of the traumatic process experienced on the psychopathology was important for physicians in that sense.
Insomnia triggers bipolar disorder
Noting that insomnia triggers discomfort in bipolar patients, Assoc. Dr. Nermin Gündüz said, “When the first statements were made, everyone was in a state of intense panic and the statements were made by the Ministry of Health generally late in the evening. Unfortunately, we saw that our patients who were waiting until late, especially seeing a regular increase in the number of cases and who could not sleep due to anxiety, had attacks. We witnessed that depression patients' views on the world such as' I am bad, the past is bad, the life after this is bad, the environment is bad ', and the thoughts that everything will be negative in the next period have been reinforced.
Increased suicide cases
Noting that there was an increase in suicide cases in our country during this period, Gündüz said, “Unfortunately, there have been cases of suicide in thought, plan and realized. In fact, at the beginning of the pandemic process, we had a patient who was caught with the virus and committed suicide thinking that he would not recover, and unfortunately, he lost his life. "
There was an increase in OCD disorders
Expressing that this period brought economic difficulties, Gündüz continued as follows:
“Too many patients lost their jobs due to restrictions and economic measures. We have had patients who suffer from depression, depression triggered, and even patient groups who have suicidal thoughts due to job loss. We also had interventions on these patients. As physicians, we knew that OCDs would also increase in this process, and that was what happened. The order in the pandemic, that is, everyone's washing their hands and paying attention to hygiene, made one of our OCD patients feel good. Because in the world they dream of, everyone washes their hands, everyone is careful about hygiene. Since this situation happened during the pandemic process, it started not to experience as much trouble as before. We have seen a significant increase in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in general, especially in patients with cleansing delusions. When patients with dermotitis complaints that have just started during the pandemic process, with persistent wounds, skin itching and dryness due to too much hand washing, and washing their hands up to their elbows, were directed to us from the skin outpatient clinic and when we conducted a detailed examination, we found that there was an increase in the group with cleansing concerns.
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