The effects of the COVID-19 outbreak and measures in patients with a pre-existing psychiatric diagnosis: A cross-sectional study.

Background COVID-19 has seriously affected physical and mental health world-wide,both due to spreading of the virus and due to the socially restrictive measures most governments have enforced. Increased anxiety, stress and depressive symptoms have been widely reported in the general population. The current study investigated the effects of COVID and the restrictive measures in the Netherlands on stress, anxiety and loneliness in patients with a pre-existing psychiatric disorder.