Background

The novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has been responsible for the devastation of hundreds of thousands of lives directly and has caused disruptions globally. Vulnerable populations, specifically those suffering from serious mental illness and homelessness, are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 infection resulting in medical complications and psychiatric destabilization. In addition, mental health has become increasingly relevant throughout the country given the psychological distress people have been facing due to the spread of COVID-19 and the toll of a more restricted way of living. Although the healthcare industry has quickly integrated novel ways of treating patients with mental illness with technological advances, these technologies are not applicable to different populations equally. There is a clear disparity that is represented within the public county health systems, which leads to a widening gap between those who receive adequate treatment for mental illness and those who do not.

Aims

The aims of this paper were to provide a commentary on the benefits of technology-based psychiatric and psychological interventions based off experience in a public health system and based off a relevant, thorough literature review. In addition, we aim to highlight the importance of accessibility of these interventions for vulnerable populations and provide recommendations for integrating these services expeditiously.

Methods

Literature review was conducted using MEDLINE, PubMed and Google Scholar.

Conclusions

Based off data collected from experience in a public health system and literature review, we conclude that although the COVID-19 pandemic has initiated significant innovation to integrate technology for psychiatric care, this innovation is not equally accessible for vulnerable populations suffering from mental health disorders. Within a public county health system, there are barriers with providing mental healthcare to vulnerable populations. These barriers, which are applicable throughout the United States, serve as a rationale for the need of innovative solutions for the integration of these services in not only emergency situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic, but also in daily non-emergent operations to sufficiently address the needs for those needing mental healthcare.

中文翻译：

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由于技术障碍，心理健康提供者和患者在 2019 年冠状病毒大流行期间面临的挑战。

背景

新型冠状病毒 SARS-CoV-2 直接导致数十万人丧生，并在全球范围内造成破坏。弱势群体，特别是患有严重精神疾病和无家可归者，感染 COVID-19 的风险更高，从而导致医疗并发症和精神不稳定。此外，鉴于人们因 COVID-19 的传播和更受限制的生活方式造成的损失而面临的心理困扰，心理健康在全国变得越来越重要。尽管医疗保健行业已迅速将治疗精神疾病患者的新方法与技术进步相结合，但这些技术并不能平等地适用于不同的人群。

目标

本文的目的是根据公共卫生系统的经验和相关的、彻底的文献回顾，对基于技术的精神病学和心理干预的益处进行评论。此外，我们旨在强调这些干预措施对弱势群体的可及性的重要性，并为迅速整合这些服务提供建议。

方法

使用 MEDLINE、PubMed 和 Google Scholar 进行文献综述。

结论

根据从公共卫生系统的经验和文献回顾中收集的数据，我们得出的结论是，尽管 COVID-19 大流行引发了重大创新，将技术整合到精神科护理中，但对于患有精神健康障碍的弱势群体来说，这种创新并不是同样容易获得的。在公共县卫生系统中，向弱势群体提供心理保健存在障碍。这些障碍适用于整个美国，因此需要创新的解决方案来整合这些服务，不仅在 COVID-19 大流行等紧急情况下，而且在日常非紧急行动中满足那些需要精神保健的人的需求。