ABSTRACT

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to increase stress and mental health symptoms. We present the case of a young man at risk for psychosis who has paradoxically shown symptomatic and functional improvement as a result of circumstances produced by COVID-19. These changes were unexpected given the client’s persistent mental health struggles in the year leading up to the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States and the expectation of an exacerbation of psychotic-like symptoms.

Methods

This report is based on clinical assessments and the client’s first-person account during the height of the pandemic when stay at home orders were in place.

Results

During the pandemic, the client demonstrated increased agency by taking on more responsibility at home and obtaining part-time employment. He showed improvement in his mood and relationships with others, had less symptom-related distress, and significantly reduced his cannabis use. The client interpreted these improvements in terms of changing his mindset toward more adaptive thoughts and engaging in healthy coping skills such as praying, reading, and healthy eating.

Discussion

This case highlights the importance of fostering agency in clients during a time of crisis and ensuring that clinicians be aware of potential biases about mental health symptom exacerbation.

中文翻译：

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一份病例报告和第一人称叙述，讲述了一名有精神病风险的人在 COVID-19 大流行期间病情有所好转

 抽象的

 背景

COVID-19 大流行预计会增加压力和心理健康症状。我们介绍了一名有精神病风险的年轻人的案例，由于 COVID-19 造成的情况，他的症状和功能却出现了矛盾的改善。鉴于客户在美国爆发 COVID-19 之前的一年中持续面临心理健康问题，并且预计精神病样症状会加剧，这些变化是出乎意料的。

 方法

该报告基于临床评估和客户在疫情最严重期间居家令生效期间的第一人称叙述。

 结果

在大流行期间，客户通过在家中承担更多责任并获得兼职工作来表现出更大的代理能力。他的情绪和与他人的关系有所改善，与症状相关的痛苦减少，并显着减少了大麻的使用。客户将这些改善解释为改变他的心态，转向更具适应性的想法，并采用健康的应对技巧，如祈祷、阅读和健康饮食。

 讨论

这个案例强调了在危机时期培养客户代理权并确保临床医生意识到有关心理健康症状恶化的潜在偏见的重要性。