Journal of Psychiatry

Tele-medicine and improvement of Mental Health problems in COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review

International Summit on Psychiatry and Psychology - July 25, 2022 | Webinar

July 25, 2022 | Webinar

Bardia Danaei

Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Psychiatry

Abstract:

The COVID-19 crisis is multidimensional, with impacts across functional dimensions, including emotionally, economically, physically, psychologically, and socially. Although anxiety and fear should be normalized during this time, it is still essential to understand how these can be exacerbated due to uncertainty, social distancing, and economic downfall. A significant concern is that during the current pandemic, the mentioned exacerbations and limited access to care may worsen psychiatric illnesses. Furthermore, quarantine can mean losing freedom, separation from loved ones, and uncertainty regarding health status. Various studies suggest that when individuals are in social isolation or quarantined for different purposes, the psychological impact would be substantial, wide-ranging, and longlasting. These concerns may have considerable effects on mental health status for both patients and health care providers. Moreover, social isolation and loneliness are linked to worsening depression and anxiety and a significantly increased risk of hospitalization. Telehealth, defined as the delivery of psychological and mental health services via telecommunication technologies, has been previously described as ‘the next big frontier in the efficient and effective delivery of health care. The advantages of telemedicine in the current pandemic situation have been discussed with several controversies. Telemedicine can support health administration, long-distance clinical care, and education. The patients seeking care for depression and anxiety could be assisted without visiting a hospital. Without the typical face-to-face visit with the doctor, therapy for psychological stabilization could be provided. Moreover, telemedicine can reduce the loss of follow-up among psychiatric patients, and by reducing the number of clinic visits for medicines and periodical discussions among the geriatric populace with mental ailments, telemedicine can also possibly decrease the number of secondary or tertiary diseases. So, there are limited data regarding the efficacy of telemedicine for the treatment of mental disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this systematic review aims to investigate the association of telemedicine and the improvement of mental health problems.

Biography :

Bardia Danaei is an associate researcher at Microbiology department, medical school of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. He obtained both his MD degree and Master of Public Health (MPH) from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran. He is a qualified general practitioner and a member of Medical Council of Iran. His previous experience involved being a collaborator of Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study projects at The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. He is also a member of research team at Men’s Health and Reproductive Health Research Center (MHRHRC) at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. cooperates in international research projects in the fields of medical sciences. It is one of the best universities of Iran and its work began in 1961 with the establishment of the schools of Medicine and Dentistry. In addition to educating students and research, the university is responsible for providing health for five million citizens who live in the northern and eastern parts of Tehran, and some of the cities near the capital. As one of the biggest national universities of Iran, its hundreds of established hospitals and health centers afford a unique opportunity to explore what it means to be a leading Iranian University not only at home but also abroad, conducting cutting edge research across more areas, and providing a quality higher education to many more students than would otherwise be possible.