Emergency Department Visits For Schizophrenia Up 15% In First Three Months After COVID-19 Started

Between March and May 2020, emergency department visits for schizophrenia spectrum disorders increased by 15% on five University of California (UC) campus health systems compared to the expected level of visits. This was during the first three months after the start of COVID-19. During the same period, the monthly average number of visits for other psychiatric conditions declined by 1.7%.

Before COVID-19, the five UC campus health system emergency departments averaged 519.9 visits by adults aged 18 years and older per month with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. During the first three months of COVID-19c, the average . . .