Liaison Psychiatry During Challenging Times

Abstract

Michigan was one of the harder hit states of the COVID-19 crisis. By early April, Detroit represented the largest caseload of viral infection outside of the East Coast. Amid worry over shortages of resources and personal protection equipment, healthcare workers struggled to rise to the challenge. The emerging question for us became the role of psychiatry during a pandemic: What could we do to help? The literature on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic discussed anxiety, depression, and traumatization for frontline workers [1]. My co-residents and I attempted to implement hotlines for access to mental health services for healthcare workers; however, despite attempts at reducing barriers to access, it became evident that there was a lag in engagement. Individuals were only reaching out when their struggle became unbearable. We wanted an intervention that could assist prior to burnout and despair