Introduction:

In the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, a decrease in consultations in Psychiatric Emergencies (PE) was reported in different countries. This study describes the situation of PE in a public hospital in Valencia (Spain) during 2019-2021.

Methodology:

The design was observational and retrospective. 1161 PE's consultations were included (M = 40.08 years; DT =15.64; 51.7% women). Six time periods were established for comparison: two global (non-pandemic/pandemic) and four intra-pandemic periods.

Results:

Mean daily consultations were similar before and during pandemic. However, there were less consultations in lockdown than in post-lockdown periods. In the pandemic, more consultations were related to the psychotic spectrum and fewer to depressive disorders. Up to 30.74% of PE consultations in the examined periods required psychiatric hospitalization.

Conclusions:

The situation of PE seems to stabilize during the year after the declaration of the alarm state in Spain, although the factors that determine attendance in emergency situations need further attention.

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