People with mental disorders in Poland have increased standardized mortality ratios (SMRs). This is the first study to assess all-cause mortality in people with mental disorders in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recent findings
A nationwide, register-based cohort study utilizing data from the registry of healthcare services (2011–2020) and the all-cause death registry (2021) in Poland was conducted. Individuals who were consulted or hospitalized in public mental healthcare facilities and received at least one diagnosis of mental disorders (ICD-10) from 2011 to 2020 were identified. SMRs were compared between people with a history of mental disorder and the general population. SMRs for the pandemic period were also compared with prepandemic SMRs calculated for 2019.
No significant differences in SMRs were observed overall between 2021 and 2019. A minor increase in SMR was observed in 2021 for people treated only in outpatient mental health clinics. In 2021, a significant decrease in SMRs was shown for individuals with diagnoses from groups F10-F19 and F20-F29, and a significant increase in SMRs was observed for those with diagnoses from group F40-F48.
Summary
SMRs for people with any mental disorder in Poland in 2021 remained at comparable levels to those in 2019.