TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2023//
TI  - Retrospective Study of Psychiatric Hospitalizations in a West Texas Mental Health Treatment Facility during the COVID-19 Pandemic
JO  - Southern medical journal
A1  - Kim, Jimin
A1  - Rao, Nikita
A1  - Collins, Alex
A1  - Eboh, Tochi
A1  - Chugh, Julie
A1  - Sheladia, Shyam
A1  - Naguib, Tarek H.
SP  - 170
EP  - 175
VL  - 116
IS  - 2
N2  - OBJECTIVES: The association between the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and adverse mental health outcomes has been well documented; however, little is known about its impact in rural areas of the United States. This study aims to characterize and compare inpatient psychiatric admissions in West Texas before and during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. <br><br>METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted using the electronic health records of 1392 inpatient psychiatric admissions from period A (March 13, 2019-July 3, 2019) to period B (March 13, 2020-July 3, 2020). <br><br>RESULTS: During period B, there was a significant increase in the length of stay (P < 0.01) compared with period A. The pandemic was associated with an increased history of psychiatric medication use (P < 0.01), substance use (P ≤ 0.01), and suicide risk at the time of admission (P < 0.01). Significant differences were found in employment status (P < 0.01), living situation (P < 0.01), and ethnicity (P = 0.03). <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Rural communities in West Texas experienced a decrease in psychiatric hospitalizations during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by an increase as lockdown restrictions began to lift; this warrants further investigation into healthcare service utilization during the pandemic.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0038-4348
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.14423/SMJ.0000000000001514
ID  - ref1
ER  -