Return to Community Mental Health Centers after the Pandemic: A Qualitative Study on Turkish Patients' Subjective Experiences.

BACKGROUND: Community mental health centers (CMHCs) are important institutions for individuals with chronic mental illness. During the COVID-19 period, patients with mental health could not optimally access care in CMHCs.

AIM: To explore the experiences of patients using a CMHC after its closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a descriptive qualitative study that included 16 patients with mental disorders who regularly used CMHCs during the pre-pandemic period. Their data were collected between March 2022 and August 2022 using face-to-face, in-depth semi-structured interviews. All interviews were recorded and the content analysis method was used to analyze the data.

RESULTS: The age range of the 16 study participants was 29-53 years with a mean age of 40.8 ± 6.5 years. Nine (56.3%) participants were men, and 7 (43.7%) were women. Ten (62.5%) participants had schizophrenia, whereas 6 (37.5%) had bipolar disorder. According to content analysis, the five main themes that emerged based on the statements of participants were the effects of change, difficulties experienced, support needs, coping experiences, and suggestions. The results showed that although patients using CMHCs are struggling with the adverse consequences of the pandemic process, they also have difficulty managing their diseases and daily life due to their inability to access psychosocial services in the CMHCs.

CONCLUSION: The patients reported their negative experiences and need for support during the pandemic. The study highlights the need to adequately accommodate mental health services delivery during future pandemics that may impose movement restrictions.