The COVID-19 pandemic (SARS-CoV-2) has changed the organization of care in psychiatry. After providing a brief overview of the links between the epidemic and psychiatry, this article details the methods used to organize psychiatric care at Saint-Luc University Clinics: overall reduction in activity, shift towards telephone or video consultations, allocation of psychiatric beds for patients suffering from mental disorders and COVID-19, significant increase of the mobile crisis team activity, etc. The changes in psychiatric practice induced by the use of telephone and mask wearing are discussed. As a conclusion, the article raises some questions about the future of psychiatry and the links between the pandemic and mental health reform. We end with an anthropological reflection on war psychiatry and the fate of death in our society.
Key Words
Psychiatry, pandemic, organization of care, COVID-19, mental health