Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on utilisation of community-based mental health care in North-East of Italy: A psychiatric case register study.

Aims: WHO declared that mental health care should be considered one essential health service to be maintained during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aims to describe the effect of lockdown and restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy on mental health services' utilisation, by considering psychiatric diagnoses and type of mental health contacts.

Methods: The study was conducted in the Verona catchment area, located in the Veneto region (northeastern Italy).