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The Impact of COVID-19 on Severe Mental Illness:
Can We Do Better?
COVID-19 may be having an indirect impact on people with mental health disorders. The quality of mental health services may be affected as most routine care has been disrupted and healthcare resources have been redeployed to fight COVID-19.
Part of our Mental Health across the Life Course research theme
COVID-19 is having a profound impact on everyone’s life, especially on people with mental health disorders. This is because they are generally more susceptible to infection, their treatment of COVID-19 may be challenging for acute physical care providers, and emotional responses may be triggered in periods of crisis and uncertainty.
COVID-19 may be having an indirect impact on people with mental health disorders. The quality of mental health services may be affected as most routine care has been disrupted and healthcare resources have been redeployed to fight COVID-19.
In addition, people with Severe Mental Illness (SMI), much like individuals from highly deprived socio-economic background and those of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background, have been disproportionately affected by some measures taken to control the pandemic.
Suicide among vulnerable groups is likely to become a pressing concern as a results of the long-term effects of the pandemic on multiple areas of functioning including economic social, wellfare. Although, the impact of COVID-19 is expected to be larger in patients with SMI, it seems that anxiety and depression in general population receives most attention during the pandemic.
Drawing on our multi-disciplinary expertise and established collaboration with clinical mental health services, data managers, and research teams in Oxford, we propose to study the impact of COVID-19 on patients with SMI and investigate potential moderators of this impact. This could support the development of emergency health protocols to prepare the responsiveness of the health system to the mental health needs during public health crisis.
Principle Investigator
Team members
Partners on this project:
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.
- Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford.
Aims
The overall aim is to better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and service needs of patients with mental health disorders. In this study we will:
- assess the effect of the pandemic on health outcomes (including psychotic episodes and self-harm), of people with SMI,
- examine the impact of the pandemic on patients’ access and use of mental health services,
- identify potential effect moderators at individual patient or service level.
Deliverables
- A linked dataset of health outcomes and resource use of people with SMI
- A peer-reviewed publication
- Presentation to clinicians and managers at Oxford University Health Trust and other Trusts
- Dissemination through social media, blogs, letters to mental health networks such as time4recovery.
Expected Impact
The impact of the proposed study could be immediate in redesigning mental health services to respond effectively to the needs of people with SMI during this and a future pandemic.
This study could support an optimal re-deployment plan of NHS resources and “smarter” application of response measures to pandemics to protect the health of one of the most vulnerable groups and reduce further health inequalities induced by the health and associated economic crisis.
Further information and updates:
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