PSYCHIATRIC INTERNMENT IN CURITIBA: A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS BEFORE AND DURING PANDEMIC

Abstract

Introduction: The coronavirus pandemic hit Curitiba in March 2020. From then on, measures were taken for the contingency of the disease with the application of social distance. It is proven that such a system and the quarantine method generate psychological effects on the population, mostly negative, due to the impact on mental health such as fear of a longer quarantine, fear of infection, frustration, inadequate medical treatment, improper information, and deficit financial. Objective: To identify whether there was a quantitative change in psychiatric hospitalizations during the COVID-19 pandemic in Curitiba. Methodology: Quantitative and observational approach, based on secondary data from the Mental Health Regulation Center of the Municipal Health Department of Curitiba. The patient sample was described by numerical secondary data classified according to the International Classification of Diseases 10 Edition of each psychiatric pathology. Results: A reduction of 527 hospitalizations was identified between the periods studied, showing an 11.96% drop in total psychiatric admissions during the pandemic. A drop in admissions for all pathologies analyzed was evidenced, except for Schizoaffective Disorder. Conclusion: Despite the literature recognizing that there is an increase in psychiatric diseases in situations of social isolation and a negative influence of the pandemic on mental health, an 11.96% drop in psychiatric hospitalizations in Curitiba during the pandemic period was evidenced. In-depth studies are needed to assess the particular motivations of this population that resulted in such a drop in hospitalizations.