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. 2020 Apr 6;6(3):e48.
doi: 10.1192/bjo.2020.25.

A global needs assessment in times of a global crisis: world psychiatry response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Kenneth R Kaufman  1 , Eva Petkova  2 , Kamaldeep S Bhui  3 , Thomas G Schulze  4
Affiliations

A global needs assessment in times of a global crisis: world psychiatry response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Kenneth R Kaufman et al. BJPsych Open. .

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has stunned the global community with marked social and psychological ramifications. There are key challenges for psychiatry that require urgent attention to ensure mental health well-being for all - COVID-19-positive patients, healthcare professionals, first responders, people with psychiatric disorders and the general population. This editorial outlines some of these challenges and research questions, and serves as a preliminary framework of what needs to be addressed. Mental healthcare should be an integral component of healthcare policy and practice towards COVID-19. Collaborative efforts from psychiatric organisations and their members are required to maximise appropriate clinical and educational interventions while minimising stigma.

Keywords: COVID-19; education; healthcare policy; infectious outbreaks; medical disaster; mental health; psychiatric guidelines; psychiatric organisations; stigma; vulnerable populations.

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Conflict of interest statement

K.R.K. is the Editor-in-Chief of BJPsych Open and a member of the BJPsych editorial board; E.P. is Deputy Editor of BJPsych Open and a statistical advisor of BJPsych; K.S.B. is Associate Editor of BJPsych Open and Editor-in-Chief of BJPsych; and T.G.S. is Deputy Editor of BJPsych Open and a member of the BJPsych editorial board. None of the authors took part in the peer-review or decision-making of this manuscript.

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