TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2023//
TI  - Upward trends in eating disorders, self-harm, and suicide attempt emergency admissions in female adolescents after COVID-19 lockdown
JO  - Spanish journal of psychiatry and mental health
A1  - Fortea, Adriana
A1  - Fortea, Lydia
A1  - Gómez-Ramiro, Marta
A1  - Fico, Giovanna
A1  - Giménez-Palomo, Anna
A1  - Sague-Vilavella, Maria
A1  - Pons, Maria Teresa
A1  - Vázquez, Mireia
A1  - Baldaquí, Nuria
A1  - Colomer, Lluc
A1  - Fernández, Tábatha Maria
A1  - Gutiérrez-Arango, Felipe
A1  - Llobet, Maria
A1  - Pujal, Ester
A1  - Lazaro, Luisa
A1  - Vieta, Eduard
A1  - Radua, Joaquim
A1  - Baeza, Inmaculada
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - INTRODUCTION: Increased mental health problems have been reported in children and adolescents related to the COVID-19 lockdown and its immediate aftermath, especially among adolescent females. However, the longer-term impact of persistent quarantine measures and social restrictions on this population is yet to be further explored. <br><br>MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared the number of children/adolescents admissions to the psychiatric emergency department (ED) of Hospital Clínic de Barcelona during the COVID-19 lockdown and the following year with the numbers of admissions the year before lockdown, adjusting for variations in the population. We also conducted separate analyses by gender, age group, and diagnostic categories. Finally, we also repeated the analyses considering the cumulated deficit/excess since the start of the lockdown. Statistical significance was estimated using binomial tests with Bonferroni correction. <br><br>RESULTS: A total of 2425 admissions were recorded. Globally, admission rates decreased during the lockdown (46%) and progressively increased during the one-year aftermath (43% by spring 2021). This increase was particularly high in adolescent females (85%) while unclear in children and/or males. The main diagnostic categories involved were anxiety, depressive, and eating disorders, as well as self-harm behavior, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts. The increase in eating disorders, self-harm behavior, and suicide attempts admissions in female adolescents remained statistically significant when considering the cumulated deficit/excess. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: We found increased ED admissions during the aftermath of the COVID-19 lockdown among adolescent females. We recommend strengthening the attention to this population to provide adequate specialized care and prevention strategies.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 2950-2853
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sjpmh.2023.09.003
ID  - ref1
ER  -