During the COVID19 pandemic numerous cases of neuropsychiatric complications were reported as a result of COVID19.

Presentation of a clinical case and literature review of new cases of neuropsychiatric complications after SARS-CoV2.

We present the case of a 43-year-old woman in follow-up for 15 years borderline personality disorder who was diagnosed with SARS-CoV2 pneumonia without signs of severity. Throughout the admission the patient, who had no history of epilepsy or other neurological affections, presented up to 5 generalized tonic-clonic seizures during 15 days.

In the ECG was evidenced intercritical epileptiform activity predominantly right frontotemporal. No analytical alterations were observed, neither in the imaging tests (cranial MRI and CT). Lumbar puncture was normal. During the admission, he presents an affective deterioration, with generalized impoverishment, decreased functional autonomy and hearing voices without structured delusional ideation. No previous psychotic history. Her previous treatment with Sertraline 100mg was suspended and valproic acid was added (1300 mg/day) which, being insufficient in the control of seizures, was necessary to boost with Levetiracetam (1000 mg/12h). Risperidone 3 mg and Diazepam 5 mg/8h were added to control psychotic symptoms. In the subsequent follow-up, previous antipsychotic treatment was gradually discontinued. The patient evolved favorably without new psychotic symptoms and clinical stability was observed with euthymia.

Taking care of these complications it is necessary to avoid misdiagnosing. It is essential to expand the study of this entities in the context of COVID19 in order to increase knowledge and to be able to carry out an adequate approach and follow-up.

No significant relationships.

The consequences for the COVID-19 pandemic in the newborns of affected mothers remains unknown. Previous clinical experiences with other infections during pregnancy lead to considered pregnant women and their offspring especially vulnerable for SARS-COV-2. That is, the underlying physiopathological changes caused by the infection (e.g. storm of cytokines, micro-coagulation in placenta or vertical transmission) could clearly compromise fetal neurodevelopment.

To analyze the impact of maternal SARS-COV-2 infection during pregnancy in early neurodevelopment of infants gestated during the COVID-19 pandemic period compared to those gestated immediately prior (2017-2021).

212 pregnant women (14% infected) were followed throughout their pregnancy and postpartum, including newborn development. SARS-COV-2 infection was serologically confirmed during pregnancy. The Brazelton Neonatal Assessment Scale (NBAS) was administered at 6 weeks old by a trained neonatologist to evaluate neurological, social and behavioral aspects of newborn’s functioning. Differences in NBAS scores between cases and controls were tested by ANOVAs. All the analysis were adjusted for maternal age, sociodemographic status, anxious-depressive symptomatology, infant’s sex and gestational age at birth and NBAS, and for the period of gestation (previous or during COVID-19 pandemic).

NBAS social interactive dimension was significantly decreased in those infants exposed to prenatal SARS-COV-2 (F=4.248, p=.043), particularly when the infection occurred before the week 20 of gestation. Gestation during COVID-19 pandemic did not alter NBAS subscales.

SARS-COV-2 infection during pregnancy seems to be associated with lower NBAS scores on social dimension in 6 weeks old exposed newborns.

No significant relationships.

the recent covid19 pandemic is not devoid of psychological risks on paramedical staff. Among them, those who work in the operating theaters are exposed to such risks.

to determine the perceived stress level and the psychological impact of COVID-19 on paramedics in the operating room.

This is an observational, descriptive and analytical study carried out in the operating rooms of Sahloul University Hospital during a 3 month period. The data collection tool was a self-administered questionnaire composed of 5 main parts (socio-demographic characteristics, occupational characteristics, exposure to COVID-19, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Hospital Anxiety and depression scale (HADS)).

96 paramedical staff participated in our study. The average perceived stress score was significantly higher among anesthetists. 48% of participants had anxiety. Anesthetists had significantly higher anxiety scores (p = 0.001). 26.1% of participants had definite depression. Of those with definite depression, 35.3% were anesthetists (p = 0.028). Factors significantly associated with the occurrence of anxiety were: psychiatric history, increased workload, contact with a positive coronavirus patient in the operating room, and severe perceived stress. However, the factors significantly associated with the occurrence of depression were: initial training in the management of covid-19 patients, personal infection with SARS-COV2 and severe perceived stress.

Covid-19 pandemic is causing significant symptoms of anxiety and depression among operation room staff. Primary and secondary prevention strategies must then be undertaken.

No significant relationships.

The COVID-19 pandemic has positioned health professionals around the world in an unprecedented situation, having to work in extreme conditions.

The reactions of healthcare personnel that concern us most are the negative psychological effects of the pandemic, such as exhaustion, moral injury, acute stress reactions, anxiety, depression or post- traumatic stress disorder.

To assess the impact of the COVID19 crisis on mental health of Spanish health professionals during the start of the pandemic.

A descriptive, cross-sectional study is carried out, in which the population sample to be studied was the health professionals who responded to the online questionnaire designed to assess the emotional impact caused by the COVID-19 health crisis.

The questionnaire collects sociodemographic and labor data, which correspond to the independent variables of the study. The dependent variables correspond to the two scales used in the questionnaire (SAS and SASRQ scales)

The population sample was 473 people.

Analyzing the results of the SAS scale, 26.5% of the sample had anxiety symptoms in a normal range, 44.3% had mild-moderate anxiety levels, 24.4% marked-severe anxiety and 4, 9% had extreme anxiety levels.

The SARQ questionnaire assesses the presence of an acute stress disorder. In our study, 31.6% of those surveyed had this type of disorder.

Immediate interventions and support for health professionals are essential to improve psychological resilience and avoid the appearance of mental health problems.

No significant relationships.

In Ecuador, the first case of covid19 was reported on February 29th of 2020, forcing people to remain in lockdown, which increased gender violence; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.

Determine the cases during the lockdown caused by the covid-19 pandemic we found victims of some type of gender-based violence, depression, and PTSD.

An observational, cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out based on surveys conducted online, the study was conducted on January 29th of 2021, in the province of Guayas-Ecuador. Performed with “google forms” platform, data on affiliation, the situation of intimate partner violence and the Davidson trauma test (PTSD) and the Beck test (depression) were collected.

A total of 411 samples were obtained, classified according to age, sex, number of children, education, occupation, intimate partner relationship, whether they had suffered gender violence and types of violence. 88 (21.41%) people reported having suffered some type of violence, of which 25 (28.42%) were men and 62 (70.45%) were women. The most common was psychological with 53 (60.23%) people. 82 respondents tested positive to Davidson test for PTSD, equivalent to 20% of the total sample. 51 people (12%) reported suffering from mild depression, 53 (13%) reported suffering from moderate depression and 38 people (9%) reported major depression with Beck test.

In this study we evidenced that although the interviewers claimed they had never suffered gender violence , it was observed that the results were incongruent, so it is important to highlight that talking about gender violence is still considered a stigma in our society.

No significant relationships.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unbearable psychological pressure to people worldwide, because of serious threats to one’s physical health and life. From early stages of this pandemic, concerns have been raised about its effect on mental health. However, we still know little whether pre-existing psychiatric disorder (PD) affects the susceptibility and evolution of this infection.

We aimed to assess the interactions between COVID-19 infection and PD.

We conducted a litterature review through pubmed database, using the keywords :«COVID 19», «psychiatry», «mental disorders», « schizophrenia », « anxiety », « depression », «insomnia».

On one hand, prior surveys suggested that the infection is associated with increased incidence of a first psychiatric symptom. Mental health disturbances mostly include anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, cognitive impairment and post-traumatic stress disorder. On the other hand, recent studies showed that patients with pre-existing mental disorders were associated with high susceptibility to be infected, increased risk of intensive care unit admission and a high mortality. The susceptibility to contracting COVID-19 was associated with pre-existing mood disorders, anxiety, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Infection severity was associated with pre-existing or subsequent mood disorders and sleep disturbances; or a pre-extisting schizophrenia. Mortality is increased in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia.

The complicated interactions between COVID-19 infection and PD have several implications. Enhanced psychiatric follow-up should be considered for survivors of COVID-19. Besides, early detection and intervention for PD are needed to control morbidity and mortality induced by the COVID-19 infection.

No significant relationships.

COVID19 pandemic had an important emotional and psychological impact due to the higher rates of boredom, fear, stress, anxiety, depression, etc. (Brooks et al., 2020). Cases of suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic are increasingly reported. According to an Indian study, the main cause of suicide was fear or anticipation of COVID-19 infection.

To illustrate a case of suicide attempt after COVID-19 infection.

We report the case of a Tunisian man who did a suicide attempt after his infection with the coronavirus.

A 35-year-old Tunisian man, married, an official, with no medical or psychiatric history who was admitted in the Oto-rhino-laryngology department, after a suicide attempt by strangulation, five days after the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection. In fact, the patient was very stressed about his infection and feared transmitting the virus to his family. During his quarantine, he became anxious, had insomnia and suicidal thoughts. He was isolated in his room, and prohibit his family to approach his room. He told us that he could not support this anxiety and he decided to suicide to end this situation and save his family.

The COVID-19 pandemic may increase suicide rates. Psychological consequences of this pandemic including suicide may continue to incur later than this actual worldwide crisis. Mental health promotion is the key to prevent and mitigate such mental health consequences.

No significant relationships.

Recent research showed that persons with mental disorders may represent a population at increased risk for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection with more adverse outcomes.

We aimed to analyze clinical profile of psychiatric inpatients during their infection with COVID-19, and to explore factors associated with the disease progression.

We analyzed retrospectively the medical records of 32 psychiatric inpatients, hospitalized in psychiatry “B” department at Hedi Chaker hospital (Sfax, Tunisia), and who contracted the COVID-19 infection. We used “Charlson Comorbidity Index Score” (CCIS), predicting 10-year survival in patients with multiple comorbidities.

Somatic history was reported in 50% of patients. The CCIS ranged between 0 and 4. Psychiatric diagnosis was schizophrenia in 81.3% and bipolar disorder in 18.7% of cases. The clinical symptoms reported were fever (50%), dry cough (75%); dyspnea (34.4%). Biological assessment showed a lymphopenia in 40.6% and a high C-Reactive Protein (CRP) in 53.1%. Among our patients, 37,5% needed oxygen, and 25% were transferred to the intensive care unit. The COVID-19 complications were mostly bacterial pulmonary superinfections (21.9%) and pulmonary embolism (9.4%). Only three (9.4%) patients died from the virus. Patients with medical history were more likely to need oxygen (p<0.001). Clinical and paraclinical parameters associated with oxygen need were: fever (p<0.001); dyspnea (p<0.001); lymphopenia (p<0.001); high CRP (p=0.001). Patients presenting pulmonary superinfection or embolism were more likely to require oxygen (p=0.006 and p=0.044 respectively).

This study highlighted factors that may worsen the COVID-19 infection evolution, and which require special attention, in order to improve the prognosis of this disease.

No significant relationships.

An infectious disease such as COVID-19 can have a great impact on mental health due to the fear of contracting it as well as the social isolation itself due to the containment measures. Such events are considered stressors, as they can be perceived as threatening or challenging, and can have cumulative effects that are harmful to mental health. Along with this scenario, anxiety can occur in association with stress, and it is defined as extreme concern and somatic symptoms that generate tension, hindering the proper functioning and development of basic life functions. In people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families, such events can occur more intensely, as changing routine and adapting to different activities are usually challenging. The study examined stress, anxiety and coping strategies during the pandemic.

To analyze stressful events, anxiety and coping strategies in caregivers of children and adolescents with ASD and typical development.

Forty caregivers of children and adolescents with ASD and 40 of typically developing participated in the study. The assessment instruments used were: 1. RSQ COVID-19; 2. Semi-structured interview; 3. State–Trait Anxiety Inventory for Adults. For statistical analysis, analysis of variance (ANOVA) or chi-square were used.

Caregivers of children and adolescents with ASD showed greater stress and anxiety, in addition to using less adaptive coping strategies.

There is a great need to welcome families of children and adolescents with ASD, helping to develop coping or coping strategies.

No significant relationships.

The COVID-19 pandemic seems associated with a worsening in mental health issues as well as a widening of pre-existing social and health inequalities. Assessment of its impact on suicidal behavior might therefore be relevant.

To assess factors associated with suicidal ideation in the general population, using data from the French nationwide Epicov study

In the nationally representative Epicov study, data on occurrence of suicidal ideation from November 2019 to November 2020 were available, including timing with respect to France’s lockdown periods. We studied the incidence of suicidal ideation among participants without a prior history of suicidal behavior, after May 11, 2020, when first COVID-19 related lockdown was suspended. Studied factors assessed sociodemographic and health status, including mental health, as well as COVID-19 related information such as symptom. Associations between selected factors and suicidal ideation were assessed in sex-stratified adjusted logistic regression models.

In the Epicov study, prevalence of suicidal ideation was of 2,9%, as opposed to around 4% pre-pandemic. Among 48 702 female and 41 016 male participants, health or financial issues were associated with a higher incidence of suicidal ideation. Interestingly, Covid19-like symptoms were also associated with higher risk of suicidal ideation. While an impaired mental health has been observed in survivors of past pandemics, given the unprecedented context of the current pandemic, this association needs further investigation.

While the COVID-19 pandemic might have lowered suicidal ideation, it’s aftermaths may reverse the trend. To prevent this rise, identification of vulnerable groups is crucial to promote tailored public health strategies.

No significant relationships.

The direct and indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of the population have become a concern in the field of research in psychiatry. First psychotic episodes following infection with SARS cov2 have been reported.

Through a clinical case, we will illustrate the association of psychiatric symptoms with SARS cov2 infection.

We discussed , through a clinical case, the association of psychiatric symptoms with infection by the coronavirus 19.

L.R, Tunisian 52-year-old, diabetic (type 2) women, with no personal or family psychiatric history and no toxic habits. she did not receive receive covid 19 vaccination. Twenty days before her admission to the psychiatry departement, she had fever, cough, myalgia, and anosmia .The diagnosis of a SARS COv2 infection was retained by her general practitioner. Two weeks later she suddenly presented a persecutory delirium, distressing auditory hallucinations, and attempted rat poison suicide. On admission, The patient had a delirium of persecution towards her entourage and an auditory hallucinatory syndrome with distressing content. She was put on 1 mg of Risperidone with restitution ad integrum after 7 days. COVID-19 serology test detected IgM antibodies which allowed us to conclude that the symptomatology was related to the infection by this virus. For the etiological research, we performed a serology that confirmed the recent exposure to SARS COV2 and. The diagnosis retained is a brief psychotic disorder post-Sars Cov2.

The advanced hypothesis that infection with SARS CoV-2 could be the cause of the psychiatric manifestations remains unclear to this day.

No significant relationships.

Research of COVID-19-Pandemic mental health impact focus on three groups: the general population, (2) so called vulnerable groups (e.g. individuals with mental disorders) and (3) individuals suffering COVID-19 including Long-COVID syndromes.

We investigate whether individuals with a history of depression in the past, react to the COVID-19 pandemic with increased depressive symptoms.

Longitudinal Data stem from the NAKO-Baseline-Assessment (2014-2019, 18 study centers in Germany, representative sampled individuals from 20 to 74 years) and the subsequent NAKO-COVID-Assessment (5-11/2020). The sample for analysis comprises 115.519 individuals. History of psychiatric disorder was operationalized as lifetime self-report for physician-diagnosed depression. Depressive symptoms were measured with the PHQ 9.

Mean age of the sample at baseline was 49.95 (SD 12.53). It comprised 51.70 women; 14 % of the individuals had a history of physician-diagnosed depression. Considering a PHQ-Score with cut-off 10 as a clinical relevant depression, 3.65 % of the individuals without history of depression and 24.19 % of those with a history of depression were depressed at baseline. The NAKO-COVID-Assessment revealed 6.53 % depressed individuals without any history of depression and a similar rate of 23.29 % in those with history of depression.

In contrast to that what we expected, individuals with a history of a physician-diagnosed depression, did not react with increasing depressiveness during the first phase of the pandemic in Germany. Several reasons could be discussed. Whether there medium and long-term impact remains open.

No significant relationships.

Endorsing conspiracy theories seems to constitute a major feature of contemporary collective anti-vaccine movements (Vignaud & Salvadori, 2019). As revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this contributes to increased worldwide vaccine hesitancy (de Figueiredo et al., 2020).

The present work aims at providing novel insight into the collective psychological underpinnings of conspiracy-based vaccine discourses.

Our approach is inspired by Jung’s view that human groups produce narratives to project their collective conflicts (e.g., social, religious, political) onto reality. We analyze these projections in relation to the “halo effect” phenomenon, namely taking metaphorical extensions of (scientific) concepts at face value (e.g. Keller, 1995). Accordingly, we discuss one version of “the Great Reset” theory, claiming that COVID-19 vaccines are used by “the elite” to control behavior and abolish fundamental freedoms.

Our analysis suggests that Western societies are manifesting some of their existential concerns through anti-vaccine discourse. In “the Great Reset” narrative, characters (people, vaccines, elites, immune systems, etc.) and plot can be read as symbols of, respectively, structural elements of the collective psyche (socio-cultural values, aggressive drives, death anxiety, psychic defenses, etc.), and dynamic interrelations among these elements.

Conspiracy theories can be understood as shared narratives serving the purpose of giving shape to collective fears. Within such a framework, references to “vaccines” and “immunity” are the manifestations of a state of crisis of collective psychic defenses.

No significant relationships.

Coronavirus disease 2019, is now a global pandemic that has spread rapidly causing many deaths. Most countries have opted for compulsory confinement which had repercussions on mental health and well-being.

The purpose of this study is to assess mental health consequences during the confinement period.

This is a cross-sectional descriptive study of 360 Tunisians in April and May 2020. We used an anonymous E-questionnaire that included a socio-demographic fact sheet, The HAD questionnaire, and a Q-EDD questionnaire to explore eating disorders.

The subjects of our sample were mostly males with a mean age of 31. The body mass index was 25.5 (range 16.10 -46.24), 15% suffered from obesity. Half of the subjects were single and 6.7% spent the confinement time alone. 11.1% were smokers while 4.4% were alcohol users. The HAD-A and the HAD-D scores had an average of 9.1 and 8.48 respectively.A pathological threshold of anxiety and depression was found in 20% and 30% of the sample respectively.15% had an eating disorder: 76% had binge eating, 20% had bulimia and 17% had anorexia. In our study, we found an association between eating disorder and obesity, single marital status (p=0.007), living alone (p=0.001), history of depression (p=0.046), anxiety (p=0.049) and depression (p=0.038).

Reduced social interactions, decreased physical activity and increased stress are potentially harmful causes for our brain. Confining the population for several weeks has a negative impact on our physical and mental health. A crisis unit has been formed in Tunisia to help subjects overcome these psychological difficulties.

Under the umbrella of e-Mental Health (eMH), Telepsychiatry (TP) keeps its place as the oldest and best-documented application. Legislative issues, and the concerns related to the quality of care and patient safety, have kept TP from broader adoption. COVID19 pandemic seems to be a turning point for TP as well as for the eMH in general. The use of TP has exploded as many regulatory barriers to its use have been temporarily lowered during the COVID-19 pandemic. What has to be done to sustain this momentum?

-outline temporary changes in TP regulations made due to COVID19; -discuss which of these should be maintained, modified, or reversed; -suggest additional initiatives needed to facilitate patient and professional use of digital technology.

Examination of the use of digital technology in the light of regulatory, legislative, and other changes and initiatives made due to COVID 19.

Among several policy changes, the most important is e.g. removal of the “originating site” rule so professionals can be paid for a remote appointment wherever the patient is, including in the patient’s home. Further, professionals were allowed to serve patients through everyday communication technologies such as FaceTime, WhatsApp, Viber, or Skype, all compromising patient/data safety.

EPA is perfectly positioned to be the frontrunner for the required initiatives i.e. mandatory lectures related to eMH at medical educational institutions, launching of TP-competency training of mental health professionals, regulatory and statutory changes e.g. unified licensure regulations, etc that are crucial for modernizing mental health care delivery and preparation for future unprecedented events.

No significant relationships.

We are facing a crisis caused by an extremely infectious disease, Covid-19. The mechanisms of infection and transmission of this coronavirus are largely unknown but some of the clearer recommendations are washing hands and surfaces. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder has a lifetime prevalence of 2-3%, among the multiple symptoms, fear of dirt or being contaminated, and excessive washing are the most common affecting about 50% of patients.

We reviewed the available information to understand if there are changes in OCD symptoms during the pandemic.

Non-systematic review of the literature with selection of scientific articles published in the past 6 months; by searching Pubmed and Medscape databases using the combination of MeSH descriptors. The following MeSH terms were used: Covid-19; SARS-Cov2; pandemic; obsessive compulsive disorder; OCD.

From a theoretical point of view, the increased frequency of hand washing and the importance of following hand-washing steps can add to a ritualistic pattern, also cleaning hands every time a person comes from outside or contacts with others can be justified as a preventive action rather than considered a problem and it can be “normalized” by others as a pandemic response.

In conclusion, there is evidence that during quarantine an overall increase in obsession and compulsion severity emerged with contamination symptoms associated with worse outcomes. There is data on an increase in relapses with patients not asking for help in a timely manner. The current situation is unpredictable and rapidly changing. It is likely that more information about this topic will arise in the next months.

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease and its main symptoms are fever, dry cough and difficulty breathing. It spread to several countries, which led the World Health Organization to decree, on March 11, 2020, a pandemic state that deeply affected Brazil. Due to the impossibility of leaving the house, the routine of children with autism was changed. Children in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have a qualitative deficit in social interaction. Clinical and daily observations reinforce several scientific studies that defend the importance of maintaining a routine as stable as possible for people with ASD, without this stability they may become emotionally disorganized, feel discomfort or even irritability.

Investigate the impact caused by social distancing on the development of children and adolescents with autism.

An online questionnaire based on the DIR/Floortime basic map of emotional functional capacity development was distributed in Brazil from April to May, 2020. The results were analyzed using SPSS software.

Results obtained from 122 questionnaires showed that after 30 days of quarantine 20% of children no longer had the characteristic of being able to remain calm and organized for at least 2 minutes; 11% no longer initiates interactions with their parents; 27% demonstrated more protests and anger than before the social distancing; 18% demonstrated more emotions such as anger, fear and intimacy, 28% began to understand their limits and 12% of the children are using greater facial expression during the social distancing.

This study brings results that can help to understand the processes in a child with autism.