Seeking mental health services before and during COVID-19 Pandemic in the Acre region of Israel

Abstract

Abstract Background The Covid-19 pandemic and the measures (social and physical distancing, school closure, etc.) taken to prevent the spread had remarkable psychological and social effects on the population. These measures have been linked to post-traumatic stress disorders, anxiety, depression, and other stress symptoms that negatively impact the psychological well-being. Our aim was to compare the determinants of use of psychiatric services before and during the pandemic. Methods We conducted a record-based retrospective study from two periods, before and during the Covid-19 pandemic, utilizing the electronic system Prometheus at the Mazor Mental Health Medical Center (MMHMC) located in the Acre region of Northern Israel. Results Our sample consisted of 528 newly admitted patients, 96.6% came voluntarily, 55.9% were male, with a mean age of 41.1 years (SD ± 16) and living approximately 7.1 km (SD ± 8.5) from MMHMC away. 53% were Jewish, 21.8% lived alone, and 79.9% were unemployed. The main diagnoses were psychotic disorders (16.3%), adjustment and posttraumatic stress disorders (both 13.6%), followed by depression (9.3%), anxiety (7.8%), personality disorders (4.7%), and all other diagnoses. Most patients were referred to MMHMC by their primary care physician (58.1%) or psychiatrist (41.5%), and 21.4% had a family psychiatric history. Comparing the two periods, no statistically significant differences were observed in all examined variables and clinical characteristics except for the underlying risk factors for seeking mental health services. In the pre-pandemic period, the rate of suicide attempts is 26.9%, of violence 38.8%, and of other risk factors 34.3%, while the corresponding percentages during the pandemic are 49.1%, 39.6%, and 24.2%, respectively. Conclusions Our study revealed approximately the same characteristics of people seeking mental health services during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, a significant increase in suicide attempts was observed during this period.