Predictors of Psychiatric Disorders or uses of Psychotropic Drugs in Patients with Confirmed COVID-19 During Treatment in a Hospital : A Retrospective Chart Review Running title : Mental health of COVID-19 patients

Abstract BackgroundThis study aims to examine the psychiatric diagnoses, psychotropic drug use, and related factors in patients with coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) during their acute treatment phase.MethodsWe performed a retrospective chart review of patients admitted to the isolation ward at a nationally designated hospital during the COVID-19 outbreak. All the COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital were assigned to psychiatrists by consultation in order to monitor their mental health during their hospital stay. We analyzed the medical records and self-reported psychological tests of 80 out of 112 patients.ResultsOn admission, 16.3% of the subjects had self-reported depression and 6.3% had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Twenty-five patients (31.3%) had current diagnoses of mental disorders. These disorders consisted of nonorganic insomnia, acute stress reaction, panic disorder, and depressive episodes. Nineteen patients (23.8%) were prescribed psychotropic drugs, including trazodone, alprazolam, clonazepam, and zolpidem. Factors associated with these psychiatric diagnoses included self-reported PTSD on the day of admission and having a spouse. Previous psychiatric history and age of 40 years or more were associated with the use of psychotropic drugs.ConclusionMental health services rendered to quarantined COVID-19 patients undergoing an acute treatment phase and self-reported PTSD on the day of admission might be useful in predicting mental health problems during hospital days.