Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health Service Utilization in Children and Adolescents

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic may be vast and may potentially overwhelm the mental health system in a long-lasting manner. Evaluating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in vulnerable groups such as children and adolescents has become an immediate priority. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on use of mental health resources namely 1) prescriptions of psychotropic medications and 2) mental health-related outpatient visits, hospitalizations and emergency department visits in children and adolescents in France. Secondary aim is to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on episodes of fatal and non-fatal self-harm episodes in the same population. This will be a population-based cohort study using data from healthcare claims, administrative medical and outpatient drug dispensation databases in France between January 1, 2016 and June 1, 2021. Findings will inform on the risk of upcoming outbreaks of mental disorders that can result in significant morbidity and mortality and guide timely targeted actions to improve mental health outcomes and wellbeing in the youngest.

Detailed Description
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Mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic may be vast and may potentially overwhelm the mental health system in a long-lasting manner. Evaluating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in vulnerable groups such as children and adolescents has become an immediate priority. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on use of mental health resources namely 1) prescriptions of psychotropic medications and 2) mental health-related outpatient visits, hospitalizations and emergency department visits in children and adolescents in France. Secondary aim is to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on episodes of fatal and non-fatal self-harm episodes in the same population. This will be a population-based cohort study using data from healthcare claims, administrative medical and outpatient drug dispensation databases in France between January 1, 2016 and June 1, 2021. Findings will inform on the risk of upcoming outbreaks of mental disorders that can result in significant morbidity and mortality and guide timely targeted actions to improve mental health outcomes and wellbeing in the youngest.

Official Title
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Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health Service Utilization in Children and Adolescents

Conditions
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Mental Disorder, Child

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: national population-based study


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Children and adolescents aged from 6 to 18 years One dispensation of psychotropic medication or One mental-health related hospitalization or One reimbursement for an outpatient mental-health related consultation or One eligibility to long-term diseases corresponding to long term psychiatric diseases or One mental-health related cause of death using ICD-10 codes Exclusion Criteria: none

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 6 Years
Maximum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Intervention/Treatment |
| --- |
|Other: national population-based study|No intervention|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| To evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on use of mental health resources | prescriptions of psychotropic medications; mental health-related outpatient visits; mental health-related hospitalizations and emergency department visits | 1 year | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| To evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on episodes of fatal and non-fatal self-harm episodes in children and adolescents in France | monthly counts and rates of fatal and non-fatal self-harm episodes will be assessed throughout the study period | 1 year | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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pediatrics, COVID 19 pandemic, mental health, psychotropic drug