ABSTRACT

The aim of this integrative review was to examine the impact of past viral epidemics on mental health, with a specific focus on changes in numbers of acute mental health presentations and mental health service recommendations in response to this, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following PRISMA methodology, databases were searched for relevant publications. A total of 83 articles with a range of methodologies were included to ensure broad coverage of this rapidly emerging research area. The literature supports an initial increase in mental health concerns which generally do not reach the threshold for diagnosis with a mental illness, but present to frontline telephone services. There is a potential delay before community and hospital-based mental health services see an increase in new or relapsing mental illness presentations. However vulnerable populations, such as people with pre-existing mental illness, are at increased risk of mental health issues during such public health crises. Many of the general recommendations distilled from the literature are closely aligned with existing strategic frameworks for mental health service provision. However, in review of these frameworks, gaps in the literature become more apparent, such as a failure to include people with lived experience, peer workers, and First Nations People in the COVID-19 mental health response.

摘要

这次综合审查的目的是研究以往病毒流行对精神卫生的影响，并特别关注在COVID-19的背景下，急性精神卫生报告的数量变化和针对此问题的精神卫生服务建议大流行病。按照PRISMA方法，在数据库中搜索相关出版物。总共包括83篇文章，其中包含各种方法论，以确保对该快速发展的研究领域进行广泛的报道。文献支持人们对精神健康问题的最初关注，这种关注通常没有达到诊断为精神疾病的阈值，而是出现在前线电话服务中。在以社区和医院为基础的精神卫生服务出现新的或复发性精神疾病的报告之前，可能会有延迟。但是，在这种公共卫生危机期间，易感人群，例如患有先前的精神疾病的人，在精神卫生问题上的风险增加。从文献中提炼的许多一般性建议与提供精神卫生服务的现有战略框架紧密相关。但是，在审查这些框架时，文献中的差距变得更加明显，例如未能将有经验的人，同龄人和原住民纳入COVID-19精神卫生应对措施中。