A 6-month study on the pattern of emergency department presentations for schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders during COVID-19 lockdown.

This study investigated the characteristics of patients with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders presenting to emergency departments (ED) for psychiatric treatment during the first six months of the COVID-19 lockdown in Melbourne. This cross-sectional data-base study included adult patients in the North West Area Mental Health Service's catchment area who had visited two emergency departments (EDs) during the study period (March 16-September 16, 2020) and the control period (March 16-September 16, 2019). Compared to the control period (n = 467), the lockdown period (n = 451) had a 6.

COVID-19 and ECT - a Victorian perspective.

Objectives: (i) to describe the operational strategies implemented to practise electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) safely, and (ii) to explore the effect of the lockdown and operational strategies on the characteristics of patients who received ECT during the initial 6 months of the COVID-19 lockdown.

Methods: At first, the operational strategies that were implemented at the Broadmeadows ECT suite were summarised. Subsequently, the characteristics of patients who received ECT in the lockdown period (16 March-16 September 2020) and in the comparison period (16 March-16 September 2019) were compared.

COVID-19 and psychiatric admissions: An observational study of the first six months of lockdown in Melbourne.

Research on the effect of a prolonged lockdown on inpatient admissions is limited. In this background, this study was planned, and it included patients admitted to inpatient units of a large mental health network in Melbourne during the lockdown (March 16-September 16, 2020) and a similar time period in 2019. The results showed a 12% decrease in admissions.