First-Episode Psychosis incidence pre-, during, and post-COVID-19 pandemic: a six-year natural quasi-experimental study in South London.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic may have been accompanied by an increased exposure to psychosis risk factors. We used a pre-during-post study design to examine variations in the incidence of First-Episode Psychosis (FEP) before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic in South London. We hypothesised that FEP rates rose during the pandemic and subsequently returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Methods

Using the Clinical Record Interactive Search (CRIS) system, we screened individuals referred for FEP to Early Intervention Services for Psychosis (EISs) of the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) from 1 March 2018 to 29 February 2024. Population data for the SLaM catchment area were obtained from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). We calculated crude incide

SUBMITTER: Quattrone A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11876906 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature