Welcome to the EPA 2021 Interactive Programme

The viewing of sessions and E-Posters cannot be accessed from this conference calendar. All sessions and E-Posters are accessible via the Main Lobby in the virtual platform.

The congress will officially run on Central European Summer Time (CEST)

To convert the congress times to your local time Click Here

Fully Live with Live Q&A On Demand with Live Q&A  ECP Session Section Session EPA Course (Pre-Registration Required) Product Theatre

   Sessions with Voting  Ask the Expert  Live TV

                 

Displaying One Session

Date
Mon, 12.04.2021
Session Time
15:30 - 17:00
Room
Channel 4
Session Description
The Live Q&A of this session will take place in the Live Sessions auditorium. Please refer to the interactive programme for the exact time and channel.

The work of psychiatrists has been profoundly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., redeployment, shifting institutional priorities, sudden massive use of telehealth services). At the same time, mental health concerns in the population have been exacerbated by the pandemic (e.g., due to isolation, anxiety, substance use), resulting in increased need for services at a time when accessing services is more difficult. This symposium will present the results of two large longitudinal studies that speak to these issues. The first is a global, multilingual study of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical practice and well-being of psychiatrists and other mental health professionals. Results will be presented from two waves of data collection with members of the World Health Organization's Global Clinical Practice Network (GCPN), comprising 15,500 clinicians from 159 countries. The first speaker will focus on predictors of distress, occupational burnout, and practice disruption over time and the use of distance technologies for evaluation and treatment. The second and third speakers will focus on China and Russia, examining impact on GCPN members as a function of the course of the pandemic in those countries. The fourth speaker will focus on the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic among a representative sample of the general population of Madrid (n = 900), interviewed by telephone at two time points. The symposium will consider the implications of the results for the delivery of mental health services and for programs and policies that protect well-being and reduce occupational burnout among psychiatrists.

Session Icon
Pre-Recorded with Live Q&A
Symposium: The Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health and Mental Health Professionals: Two Large Longitudinal Studies (ID 134) No Topic Needed

S0093 - The Impact of COVID-19 on Clinical Practice and Well-being of Global Mental Health Professionals

Session Icon
Pre-Recorded with Live Q&A
Date
Mon, 12.04.2021
Session Time
15:30 - 17:00
Room
Channel 4
Lecture Time
15:30 - 15:47

ABSTRACT

Abstract Body

Some of the most direct and brutal effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are experienced by health care professionals who are working in demanding environments while having to deal with their own fears of infection and mortality. To assess the impact of COVID-19 on the practice and well-being of global mental health professionals, we designed a three-part, longitudinal, internet-based study. Here we present data from part 1, implemented in June-July 2020 in six languages to members of WHO’s Global Clinical Practice Network composed of 15,500+ mental health practitioners. The study assessed COVID-19’s impact on: work circumstances; occupational well-being; use and transition to telehealth; and expectations, needs and recommendations. 2,505 mental health professionals from 126 countries responded to the study (47% psychiatrists). 93.7% of respondents were currently practicing and 70.9% continued to see patients in person. The impact on clinical workload varied in terms of direction and extent depending on type of service provided and country of practice. Most participants had started or increased their use of telehealth services, and we identified a need for training to support telehealth use. Overall, clinicians scored high on well-being indices. However, a subset scored above the cutoff for low well-being and reported a significant number of post-traumatic symptoms. Five factors affected work-related stress: fear of infection, severe COVID-related events, life disruption, lack of adequate protection and role disruption. Data from this study will provide information relevant for the design, development, and integration of mental health services in the continuing pandemic, and in similar future scenarios.

Hide
Symposium: The Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health and Mental Health Professionals: Two Large Longitudinal Studies (ID 134) No Topic Needed

S0094 - Mental Health Response to COVID-19 in China and Impact on Psychiatrists

Session Icon
Pre-Recorded with Live Q&A
Date
Mon, 12.04.2021
Session Time
15:30 - 17:00
Room
Channel 4
Lecture Time
15:47 - 16:04
Presenter

ABSTRACT

Abstract Body

The COVID-19 outbreak has raised numerous challenges for mental health service system in China. The pandemic has many affects on clinical, research and teaching, due to the strict quarantine in china. Fight the COVID-19 became the most important thing in work. We outlined major mental health needs during COVID-19 outbreak from the exiting studies and challenges for mental health professionals, and how to manage these challenges in China. To reduce the risk of negative psychological outcomes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Central Health Authority of China and different national academic societies have integrated mental health crisis interventions into the general deployment of disease prevention and treatment. The NHCC developed a mental health triage strategy to provide four levels of psychological crisis interventions. More than 20 specific guidelines and expert consensus for mental health services for the COVID-19 outbreak were disseminated by the end of February 2020 to provide timely guidance for frontline health care professionals. External mental health expert teams in other provinces were also established to provide emergency mental health services in Hubei province, China. In addition, widespread adoption of online public education, psychological counseling, and hotline services have been set up for those in need. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has been under control in China, we should take a proactive lead to share its protocol of emergency mental health services with other countries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Also international cooperation is urgely needed to control the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. Large-scale epidemiological surveys should be conducted to examine the prevalence of mental health problems associated with the COVID-19 pandemic to inform the development of appropriate mental health services in future.

Hide
Symposium: The Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health and Mental Health Professionals: Two Large Longitudinal Studies (ID 134) No Topic Needed

S0095 - The COVID-19 Pandemic in Russia: Effects on Clinicians and Mental Health Services

Session Icon
Pre-Recorded with Live Q&A
Date
Mon, 12.04.2021
Session Time
15:30 - 17:00
Room
Channel 4
Lecture Time
16:04 - 16:21

ABSTRACT

Abstract Body

Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020, it has had different infection rates across the world. Russia had one of the largest numbers of infected cases during 2020, but with a lower overall fatality rate. Nevertheless, as in other countries, clinical practice within the mental health care system has faced many stresses and challenges. This concerned the need to organize a treatment of COVID-19 in psychiatric hospitals, as well as a transformation of outpatient care, including psychotherapy, which has largely switched to a remote format.

To better understand the effects of the pandemic on mental health professionals, a large-scale study has been implemented through the Global Clinical Practice Network, one of the largest professional communities, which includes 969 members from Russia. The study assessed how COVID-19 affected clinical practice and well-being of clinicians. The first of three surveys was launched in June 2020, in six languages including Russian. Over 2,500 global mental health professionals participated in the study, including 205 clinicians from Russia. Current work circumstances, work-related stressors, and use of telehealth were evaluated. In Russia, the data collection period was characterized by generally improvement in the overall pandemic situation. Results to be presented include the proportion of clinicians that continued working, what kinds of services they provided, their well-being strategies, telehealth modalities and areas in which they had particular concerns about assessment, treatment, or monitoring of patients with mental disorders using remote technologies.

Hide
Symposium: The Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health and Mental Health Professionals: Two Large Longitudinal Studies (ID 134) No Topic Needed

S0096 - A Longitudinal Study of the Mental Health Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Representative General Population Sample in Madrid

Session Icon
Pre-Recorded with Live Q&A
Date
Mon, 12.04.2021
Session Time
15:30 - 17:00
Room
Channel 4
Lecture Time
16:21 - 16:38
Symposium: The Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health and Mental Health Professionals: Two Large Longitudinal Studies (ID 134) No Topic Needed