Departmental Meeting: ''COVID-19 & clinical management of mental health issues'' & ''ADHD management during the COVID-19 pandemic''

Dr Katharine Smith, Oxford Precision Psychiatry Lab, University of Oxford

COVID-19 is spreading fast around the world. Mental health patients and their clinicians need rapid access to evidence-based information to help to guide their shared decision-making. We developed a webpage to summarise the best available guidance about key COVID-19 questions that frontline mental health clinicians are facing every day. The webpage is organised around specific clinical questions and we have followed a rigorous methodological approach to search and select the information (published and unpublished) needed to answer these specific questions. The guidance can be found here:https://oxfordhealthbrc.nihr.ac.uk/our-work/oxppl/covid-19-and-mental-health-guidance/. Translations in Chinese, German, French, Italian and Turkish are available, and these versions will be used soon by mental health professionals in these countries.

Prof Samuele Cortese, School of Psychology, University of Southampton

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is creating unprecedented challenges at every level of society. Individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), are particularly vulnerable to the distress caused by the pandemic and physical distancing measures, and they might display increased behavioural problems. The crisis also poses several important questions for clinicians on how best to deliver care within the new restrictions. Therefore, the European ADHD Guidelines Group has developed guidance on the assessment and management of ADHD during the COVID-19 virus pandemic. The article is available here:https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(20)30110-3/fulltext