Impact of the early COVID‐19 pandemic on adult mental health‐related dispensed medications, hospitalizations and specialist outpatient visits in Norway and Sweden: Interrupted time series analysis

• DOI: 10.1111/bcp.16044
• Publication Date: 2024-03-31T23:36:05Z
• Authors: David Moreno‐Martos; Jing Zhao; Huiqi Li; Fredrik Nyberg; Ludvig Daae Bjørndal; Mohammadhossein H...; Björn Wettermark; Mia Aakjær; Morten Andersen; Maurizio Sessa; Angela Lupattelli; Hedvig Nordeng; Daniel R. Morales
• Keywords: Adult; Male; 610; name=Pharmacology; Psykiatri; COVID-19 ; healthcare delivery ; mental health ; Norway ; pandemic ; Sweden; Young Adult; 616; Ambulatory Care; Humans; Registries; healthcare delivery; Aged; Psychiatry; Sweden; Psychotropic Drugs; /dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3000/3004; Norway; SARS-CoV-2; pandemic; Mental Disorders; COVID-19; Interrupted Time Series Analysis; Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa och socialmedicin; Middle Aged; Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine; Hospitalization; name=Pharmacology (medical); Mental Health; /dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2700/2736; Female; mental health

AimsNorway and Sweden had different early pandemic responses that may have impacted mental health management. The aim was to assess the impact of the early COVID‐19 pandemic on mental health‐related care.MethodsWe used national registries in Norway and Sweden (1 January 2018–31 December 2020) to define 2 cohorts: (i) general adult population; and (ii) mental health adult population. Interrupted times series regression analyses evaluated step and slope changes compared to prepandemic levels for monthly rates of medications (antidepressants, antipsychotics, anxiolytics, hypnotics/sedatives, lithium, opioid analgesics, psychostimulants), hospitalizations (for anxiety, bipolar, depressive/mood, eating and schizophrenia/delusional disorders) and specialist outpatient visits.ResultsIn Norway, immediate reductions occurred in the general population for medications (−12% antidepressants to −7% hypnotics/sedatives) except for antipsychotics; and hospitalizations (−33% anxiety disorders to −17% bipolar disorders). Increasing slope change occurred for all medications except psychostimulants (+1.1%/month hypnotics/sedatives to +1.7%/month antidepressants); and hospitalization for anxiety disorders (+5.5%/month), depressive/mood disorders (+1.7%/month) and schizophrenia/delusional disorders (+2%/month). In Sweden, immediate reductions occurred for antidepressants (−7%) and opioids (−10%) and depressive/mood disorder hospitalizations (−11%) only with increasing slope change in psychostimulant prescribing of (0.9%/month). In contrast to Norway, increasing slope changes occurred in specialist outpatient visits for depressive/mood disorders, eating disorders and schizophrenia/delusional disorders (+1.5, +1.9 and +2.3%/month, respectively). Similar changes occurred in the pre‐existing mental health cohorts.ConclusionDifferences in early COVID‐19 policy response may have contributed to differences in adult mental healthcare provision in Norway and Sweden.