OBJECTIVE This study examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lock-down on patients with mental illness. METHODS Patients in inpatient or outpatient psychiatric treatment received a questionnaire, examining psychological distress and psychiatric care during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS More than half of the patients indicated that the state of emergency had a negative impact on their mental illness. Severely ill patients were more affected. CONCLUSION Patients with mental illness are a particularly vulnerable group in the current crisis. Psychiatric and psychotherapeutic care needs to be adapted accordingly; the specific burden and distress needs to be examined actively in patients from all diagnostic groups.
[COVID-19 Concerns and Worries in Patients with Mental Illness].