Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33737215›Full record

ArticleProgress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry2021

Consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on admissions to general hospital psychiatric wards in Italy: Reduced psychiatric hospitalizations and increased suicidality.

Tommaso Boldrini, Paolo Girardi, Massimo Clerici, Andreas Conca, Chiara Creati, Giuseppe Di Cicilia, Giuseppe Ducci, Federico Durbano, Carlo Maci, Antonio Maone and 11 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 64 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
64citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

64 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Utilization of mental health services during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic - a systematic review and meta-analysis.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2026
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  3. Suicide before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023
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4 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

21 authors.

Tommaso BoldriniDepartment of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Paolo GirardiDepartment of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Padova, Italy. Electronic address: paolo.girardi@unipd.it.
Massimo ClericiDepartment of Mental Health and Addiction, ASST of Monza; Psychiatric Clinic, University of Milan Bicocca, Italy.
Andreas ConcaGeneral Hospital of Bolzano, Department of Psychiatry, Bolzano, Italy.
Chiara CreatiDepartment of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Giuseppe Di CiciliaDepartment of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Giuseppe DucciMental Health Department, ASL Roma 1, S.Spirito Hospital, Rome, Italy.
Federico DurbanoDepartment of Mental Health and Addiction, ASST of Melegnano and Martesana, Italy.
Carlo MaciPsychiatric Unit, Sandro Pertini Hospital, ASL Roma2, Rome, Italy.
Antonio MaoneMental Health Department, ASL Roma 1, S.Spirito Hospital, Rome, Italy.
Giuseppe NicolòDepartment of Mental Health and Addiction, ASL Roma5, Rome, Italy.
Osmano OasiDepartment of Psychology, Catholic University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
Mauro PercudaniDepartment of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Niguarda Hospital, Milan, Italy.
Gian Marco PolselliMental Health Department, ASL Roma 1, S.Spirito Hospital, Rome, Italy.
Maurizio PompiliDepartment of Neuroscience, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, S. Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Alessandro RossiSection of Psychiatry, Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Mental Health Department ASL 1 Abruzzo, Psychiatric Unit, L'Aquila, Italy.
Silvia SalcuniDepartment of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Federica TaralloDepartment of Mental Health and Addiction, ASL Roma5, Rome, Italy.
Antonio VitaDepartment of Mental Health and Addiction, ASST of Brescia, Psychiatric Clinic, University of Brescia, Italy.
Vittorio LingiardiDepartment of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Italian Network for Research on Mental Health during COVID-19 Pandemic

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsThe present investigation aimed at evaluating differences in psychiatric hospitalizations in Italy during and after the lockdown due to the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), compared to the same periods in 2018 and 2019.

methodsWe obtained and analyzed anonymized data on psychiatric admissions (n = 4550) from 12 general hospital psychiatric wards (GHPWs) in different Italian regions (catchment area = 3.71 millions of inhabitants). Using a mixed-effects Poisson regression model, we compared admission characteristics across three periods: (a) March 1-June 30, 2018 and 2019; (b) March 1-April 30, 2020 (i.e., lockdown); and (c) May 1-June 30, 2020 (i.e., post-lockdown).

resultsDuring the COVID-19 lockdown, there was a 41% reduction (IRR = 0.59; p < 0.001, CI: 0.45-0.79) in psychiatric admissions in the enrolled GHPWs with respect to the 2018 and 2019 control period. Conversely, admission rates in the post-lockdown period were similar to those observed in the control period. Notably, a consistent and significant reduction in psychiatric hospitalizations of older patients (aged >65 years) was observed in the lockdown (40%; IRR = 0.60; 95% CI: 0.44-0.82) and post-lockdown (28%; IRR = 0.72; 95% CI: 0.54-0.96) periods. Long-stay admissions (>14 days) increased (63%; IRR = 1.63; 95% CI: 1.32-2.02) during the lockdown and decreased by 39% thereafter (IRR = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.49-0.75). A significant 35% increase in patients reporting suicidal ideation was observed in the post-lockdown period, compared to the rate observed in the 2018 and 2019 control period (IRR = 1.35; 95% CI: 1.01-1.79).

conclusionThe COVID-19 lockdown was associated with changes in the number of psychiatric admissions, particularly for older patients and long-stay hospitalizations. Increased admission of patients reporting suicidal ideation in the post-lockdown period merits special attention. Further studies are required to gain insight into the observed phenomena.

Indexed as

Suicidal IdeationAdultAgedAge FactorsCommunicable Disease ControlCOVID-19FemaleHospitalizationHumansItalyLength of StayMaleMiddle AgedPsychiatric Department, HospitalYoung AdultCOVID-19Emergency psychiatric departmentGeneral hospital psychiatric wardHospital admissionPsychiatric hospitalizationSuicidality

Identifiers

PMID33737215
PMCPMC8569419

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