The effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on mental health care use in South Africa: an interrupted time-series analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Aims

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and ensuing restrictions have negatively affected the mental health and well-being of the general population, and there is increasing evidence suggesting that lockdowns have led to a disruption of health services. In March 2020, South Africa introduced a lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, entailing the suspension of all non-essential activities and a complete ban of tobacco and alcohol sales. We studied the effect of the lockdown on mental health care utilisation rates in private-sector care in South Africa.

Methods

We conducted an interrupted time-series analysis using insurance claims from 1 January 2017 to 1 June 2020 of beneficiaries 18 years or older from a large private sector medical insurance scheme. W

SUBMITTER: Wettstein A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9245492 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature