Background
Few surveys have explored the impact of the pandemic on mental health services and the changes that have taken place. Relatively little is known about people who are newly diagnosed and their service use; and whether the increased demand for services has affected psychiatrists’ own mental health. This project aims to compliment GAMIAN Europe’s Covid-19 survey conducted in 2020 and published in April 2021.
Purpose and aims
The purpose of this proposed survey is to identify the impact of the pandemic on the mental health services, the changes that have occurred in terms of service delivery, pressures arising from an increase in demand and whether these have affected the mental health of patients and clinicians. There are two main aims. These are to:
- Seek the views of people with a pre-existing mental health condition and those who have been recently diagnosed in the past 12 months; focusing on their perceptions regarding their use of mental health services and the impact of national governments’ actions on mental health during the pandemic.
- Ask clinicians (psychiatrists and where possible psychologists) about the pressures of delivering mental health services during this challenging time; what factors have affected their ability to provide services/support to patients (including the impact on their own mental health).