A Multi-Dimensional Psychiatric Perspective on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) arose in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and spread worldwide rapidly, and was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization as of March 2020. As the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has spread worldwide, its impact is increasingly being recognized among vulnerable groups and also by the public in general. Recent findings indicate that patients with mental health disorders are among the groups most vulnerable to psychological stress and social hardships related to the current pandemic.

EEG correlates of startle reflex with reactivity to eye opening in psychiatric disorders: preliminary results.

Previous studies have shown alterations of eyeblink reflex in patients with various psychiatric disorders. It has previously been demonstrated by our group that EEG measures of the reactivity to eye opening could effectively predict patient-reported startle response in patients with acute stress reaction. In our present study, EEG spectral power analysis and eyeblink electrical startle responses were acquired from a total of 39 patients diagnosed with various psychiatric disorders: 7 patients with schizophrenia, 10 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), 10 patients with panic disorder, 5 patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 7 patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).