Social Distancing Could Spark Psychological Crises—Be Ready to Assess and Refer

Some among the public may view the term social distancing as being sentenced to boredom for an indefinite period, regardless of the intended result of mitigating the spread of COVID-19. Others might welcome it as an opportunity for solitude or spending time with their nuclear family. For a few of your patients and prospective patients, though, the thought of being more or less housebound with minimal contact with the outside world could bring about acute feelings of isolation, loneliness, and despair. People prone to depression or anxiety are equally likely to feel they’re in the midst of their own personal crisis. All told, with one American still dying by suicide or opioid overdose every 5.5 minutes, according to an article just published in JAMA Psychiatry, it’s likely this unique period in our history will result in larger numbers of people seeking help for psychological and emotional disturbances—many for the first time. Not knowing where else to turn, some are likely to visit your urgent care center. Clearly, under “normal” circumstances, anyone whom you suspect is likely to harm themselves should be referred to the emergency room. What if the closest one is closed, though? Be prepared for this situation by reaching out to local mental health crisis centers now, so you know their capability to help such patients. JUCM published an article on how to deal with that very situations. You can read Assessment, Intervention, and Disposition of Patients with Psychiatric Symptoms here.