Psychosis in Patients in COVID-19-Related Quarantine: A Case Series

While the long-term mental health effects of previous pandemics and related quarantines have been reported in the literature, research is scarce with regard to the first stages of this type of emergency situation. Sudden social isolation, societal restrictions, and virus-related fears may serve as precipitating factors in vulnerable individuals for many types of psychiatric conditions. The literature reports that individuals who are mentally vulnerable to environmental stressors can be deeply affected by quarantines,2 but no data are yet available regarding the collateral effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection on the onset of acute psychosis. We describe 3 clinical cases of patients admitted to the psychiatric ward of the Padua University Hospital, Padua, Italy, following the enactment of quarantine measures in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy. All 3 admissions occurred in a period of less than a week (March 20-25, 2020), starting 10 days after initiation of strict societal restrictions in the country.