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Individuals with bipolar disorder BD constitute an especially vulnerable group. A multicentric online study was conducted in Austria, Denmark, and Germany after the first lockdown phase in In total, healthy controls HC were matched according to age and sex to individuals with BD. The survey included the Brief Symptom Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory-2, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and a self-constructed questionnaire assessing COVID fears, emotional distress due to social distancing, lifestyle, and compliance to governmental measures.
In individuals with BD, increased symptoms of depression, somatization, anxiety, distress due to social distancing, and poorer sleep quality were related to emotional distress due to social distancing. These findings underscore the need for ongoing mental health support during the pandemic. Individuals with BD should be continuously supported during periods of social distancing to maintain a stable lifestyle and employ strategies to cope with COVID fears.
The ongoing coronavirus disease COVID pandemic has brought with it a plethora of social, emotional, and economic challenges. Li et al. Kretchy et al. Johns Hopkins University From March , people in Europe experienced increasing restrictions in several areas of life. Comparable measures and restrictions came into force in Austria, Denmark, and Germany, with only minor time differences for details, see Table 1.
The pandemic and lockdowns, accompanied by feelings of uncertainty and fear Zandifar and Badrfam, , have led to an increased prevalence of mental health problems. Goldenberg and Parwani, A global increase of fear, Frissa and Dessalegn, anxiety, distress, Fountoulakis et al. Although some researchers have noted that mentally ill individuals may be less affected by the crisis than mentally healthy individuals, Pan et al.
