Evaluation of the psychiatric diagnosis of children and adolescents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A sample from a university hospital

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the sociodemographic characteristics and psychiatric diagnoses of children and adolescents who refered to the psychiatry outpatient clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: This study enrolled the patients who were presented to the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry outpatient clinic between September 2019 and March 2020 and between September 2020 and March 2021. The patients were scanned retrospectively with the Nucleus® outpatient clinic system. The data were analyzed with SSPS 21.0. Age, gender and psychiatric diagnosis of patients were examined. Results: This study enrolled 1157 patients with 10.8 mean age and 61.5% male participants. 53% (n=622) of patients was diagnosed before pandemia and 46.2% (n=535) of patients was diagnosed during pandemia. Before pandemia: patients were diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) 40%, Anxiety Disorder (AD) 16.1%, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) 5.1%. During pandemia: patients were diagnosed with ADHD 27.3%, AD 19.3%, ASD 5.6%. During the pandemia the number of female patients increased (p=0.017), mean age of patients decreased (p=0.035), the diagnosed ADHD rates decreased (p<0.001) and the diagnosed AD (p=0.024), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) (p=0.001) rates increased. Conclusion: In our study the diagnosis of AD and MDD during pandemia increased and the diagnosis of ADHD decreased. Because of the online education during pandemia, number of ADHD patients decreased and increasing in diagnosis of AD and MDD might caused by phsycial and social limitations. İn this period it is important to follow and treat the patients that already have psychiatric disorder like ADHD. © Klinik Psikiyatri Dergisi 2022. All rights reserved.