Responding to COVID-19 : emerging practices in addiction medicine in 17 countries

Following the classification of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), countries were encouraged to implement urgent and aggressive actions to change the course of the disease spread while also protecting the physical and mental health and well-being of all people. The challenges and solutions of providing prevention, treatment, and care for those affected with issues related to substance use and addictive behaviors are still being discussed by the global community. Several international documents have been developed for service providers and public health professionals working in the field of addiction medicine in the context of the pandemic (1–3), however, less is known about country-level responses. In the current paper we, as individual members of the Network of Early Career Professionals working in Addiction Medicine (NECPAM), discuss emerging country-level guidelines developed in the 6 months following the outbreak.The South African Medical Research Councilhttp://www.frontiersin.org/Psychiatryam2022Family Medicin

Language as Multi-Level Barrier in Health Research and the Way Forward

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When the First Wave of COVID-19 Hit Psychiatry

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Réponses culturelles à la première vague de la pandémie de COVID-19 dans différentes parties du monde

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The grief experience during the COVID-19 pandemic across different cultures

Grief is the physical or mental suffering experienced after a major loss, usually the death of a loved one. It is a universal experience, but sociocultural factors, such as cultural or ethnic identity and religious beliefs predict and shape the expression of grief. The circumstances under which people are experiencing grief during the coronavirus outbreak have adversely affected the grieving process. Unexpected deaths, social distancing rules and visitor restrictions in healthcare facilities have posed a heavier burden on the loss and have heightened the risk of grievers experiencing complicated or persistent grief. This concern led us, as early career psychiatrists (ECPs) from 14 different countries connected by the Early Career Psychiatrists Section of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), to share our country-specific experiences on the mourning, grief tradition, and burial rites during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, we discuss our experiences, similarities and differences with relation to the: 'Effect of the pandemic on mourning', 'Restrictions and Guideline on burial rites due to the pandemic', 'Effect of the pandemic on social support' and 'Role of media and telecommunication on mourning practices and burial rites'. We conclude that while telecommunication means have attempted to bridge the gap and provide some form of social connectedness, the total and global effect of the pandemic is yet to be fully seen and understood

Is everyone invited to the discussion table? A bibliometric analysis COVID-19-related mental health literature

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has captured the mental health discussion worldwide. Examining countries' representation in this discussion could prove instrumental in identifying potential gaps in terms of ensuring a truly global conversation in times of global crisis. Methods We collected mental health and COVID-19-related journal articles published in PubMed in 2020. We focused on the corresponding authors' countries of affiliation to explore countries' representation. We also examined these articles' academic impact and correlations with their corresponding authors' countries of affiliation. Additional journals and countries' indicators were collected from the Web of Science and World Bank websites, respectively. Data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics and the VOSviewer software. Results In total, 3492 publications were analyzed. Based on the corresponding author, high-income countries produced 61.9% of these publications. Corresponding authors from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East combined accounted for 11.8% of the publications. Europe hosted corresponding authors with the most publications and citations, and corresponding authors from North America had the largest mean journal impact factor. Conclusions The global scientific discussion during the COVID-19 pandemic saw an increased contribution of academics from developing countries. However, authors from high-income countries have continued to shape this discussion. It is imperative to ensure the active participation of low- and middle-income countries in setting up the global mental health research agenda, particularly in situations of global crisis, such as the ongoing pandemic.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

The Impact of stigma on treatment services for people with substance use disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic-perspectives of NECPAM members.

Stigma is a mark of shame, disgrace, or disapproval which results in an individual being rejected, discriminated against, and excluded from society. Stigma toward individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) affects the emotional, mental, and physical health of individuals. People with SUD are often viewed as unpredictable, dangerous, and morally responsible for their condition. These prejudiced and discriminatory views of the community may lead to reduced access to care, inability to make decisions regarding treatment, and forced or coerced treatment. Further, stigma negatively affects the policies and programs intended for the management of substance use and other addictive disorders....

Associations of lockdown stringency and duration with Google searches for mental health terms during the COVID-19 pandemic: A nine-country study

Objectives: We examined the associations of lockdown stringency and duration with Google searches for four mental health concepts (i.e., "Anxiety," "Depression," "Suicide," "Mental Health") in nine countries (i.e., Hungary, India, Iran, Italy, Paraguay, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Turkey) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We retrieved national-level data for each country from Google Trends and the Global Panel Database of Pandemic Policies. In our primary analysis, we used data from all countries to estimate a set of multilevel regression models examining associations of overall lockdown stringency and lockdown duration with relative search volumes for each mental health term. We repeated the models after replacing overall lockdown stringency with each of the lockdown stringency components. Results: A negative association was found between overall lockdown stringency and "Depression." Lockdown duration and the most stringent stay-at-home requirements were negatively associated with "Anxiety." Policies that recommended or required the cancelation of public events evidenced negative associations with "Depression," whereas associations between policies that required some or all levels of schooling to close and "Depression" were positive. Policies that recommended or required workplaces to close and those that enforced quarantines on non-citizens arriving from high-risk regions or closed borders entirely were negatively associated with "Suicide.

Support the frontliners – good initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic for healthcare workers across the world: is this what we really need?

Healthcare workers have faced an unprecedented workload in overstretched health facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we describe various initiatives to support them. Psychological, financial and peer support, accommodation and meal services, proper personal protective equipment, applause and gratitude in the community, spiritual and religious life, child care and volunteering were identified. The potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic – permanent stress, burnout and other mental health problems among healthcare professionals – can be expected to grow. Continued monitoring is essential to bolster resilience among healthcare workers and prevent the possible consequences for their mental health.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Scaling Up Global Mental Health Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

Every health care system requires an adequate health care workforce, service delivery, financial support, and information technology. During the COVID-19 pandemic, global health systems were ill prepared to address the rising prevalence of mental health problems, especially in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), thereby increasing treatment gaps. To close these gaps globally, task shifting and telepsychiatry should be made available and maximized, particularly in LMICs. Task shifting to nonspecialist health workers to improve essential mental health coverage and encourage effi-cient use of the available resources and technology has become the most viable strategy. Psychiatric Services 2022; 73:231-234; doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.20200077