The German experience : psychiatric hospitals in times of pandemic

Abstract EN

Psychiatric patients are considered extremely vulnerable in a pandemic for a multitude of disease-specific, comorbid, and sociodemographic reasons.

Based on the experience of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the University Hospital of LMU Munich, psychiatric hospitals/units cannot only substantially contribute to the care of patients with mental disorders suffering from SARS-CoV-2 infection, but also attend to non-psychiatric COVID-19 positive patients in the need of hospitalization but not intensive care.

The Munich Psychiatric COVID-19 Pandemic Contingency Plan (MPCPCP) offers guidance on how to position psychiatry in such critical and challenging times.

In summary, psychiatric services are an essential part of medicine and this does not change during a pandemic; on the contrary, we believe that they are as important as or even more important than during the onslaught of a pandemic like COVID-19.