A Report of the Telepsychiatric Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 Patients

Abstract

Objective:

During the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, telemedicine has been brought to the forefront of attention. This report aimed to assess psychiatric comorbidities in COVID-19 patients by utilizing telepsychiatry.

Methods:

COVID-19 patients admitted in Fasa University Hospital and nonhospitalized outpatients of Fasa city were interviewed by a psychiatrist through video chat for a 1-month period (March–April, 2020). Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7), and Perceived Stress Scale-14 (PSS 14) questionnaires were administered for all patients. Each patient's mental status was recorded, and if any psychiatric problem was diagnosed, supportive psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, and follow-up visits based on the patient's condition were started.

Result:

From a total of 82 COVID-19 patients who entered the study, 32 (39.03%) and 50 (60.97%) subjects were inpatients and outpatients, respectively. Moreover, 32 (39.03%) subjects were male and 50 (60.97%) were female. Insomnia seen in 24 (29.3%) patients and adjustment disorder in 13 (15.9%) patients were the most common psychiatric disorders among a total of 33 (40.2%) patients suffering from mental illness. Female and hospitalized patients presented significantly more frequent comorbidities than males and outpatients.

Conclusions:

Psychiatric disorders were significantly more common in patients with hospital admission than those without and more frequent in female versus male subjects. There were no significant differences between male and female subjects with and without admission according to the PHQ-9, GAD-7, and PSS-14 scores. It was concluded that telepsychiatry in the early stages of mental problems during a catastrophic event like the coronavirus pandemic, can be an efficient instrument for the screening of psychosomatic comorbidities, so that pharmacological treatment (considering possible drug interactions with COVID-19 medications) and psychotherapeutic intervention can be optimized by psychiatrists.