Health of Patients with Serious Mental Illness During COVID-19: Focus on Schizophrenia

The consequences of the pandemic for persons with serious mental illnesses, particularly schizophrenia, pose a pressing challenge to psychiatric science and practice. COVID-19 has had an unprecedented impact on populations worldwide and places a heavy burden on patients with schizophrenia, including increased risk of infection and poor outcomes, adverse effects on the mental health of patients with schizophrenia, and difficulties in organizing psychiatric care for these patients in inpatient and outpatient settings. The recommendations emphasize the importance of rapidly implementing measures to both reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission and to maintain continuity of psychiatric care for patients with schizophrenia.