Impacto de la Covid en urgencias de psiquiatría infantil en el Hospital Clínico de Zaragoza.

Introduction: In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 had risen to the category of a global pandemic, causing a significant bio-psycho-social impact on the underage population. Some possible factors that may have influenced this include school closing, social isolation, and the disruption of daily routines, among others. Material and methods: A retrospective observational descriptive study was carried out, to find the number and type of emergencies attended, based on demographic characteristics such as gender, age, as well as reason for consultation and destination after assessment in the Emergency Department. Results: These data show a 20% increase in attendance in relation to previous data collected in the same time period corresponding to the year 2017. The average age of consultation was 14.9 years. As for gender, there is a female predominance accounting for 65% of the consultations. The most frequent diagnosis was anxiety disorder, followed by mood disorder. Conclusions: Children and adolescents represent a vulnerable population in terms of mental health. A 20% increase compared to previous years stands out in the demand for assistance in psychiatric emergencies for children and adolescents in the months after lockdown. That is the reason why we believe that the work of interdisciplinary teams is necessary, emphasizing early detection, in order to respond to the needs of minors and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]