Living with COVID-19: What Do Psychiatric Hospitals Need to Consider in the Coming Months?

As a contagious disease, COVID-19 was first identified in December 2019 inWuhan, China (1). The first confirmed death from the disease in Iran was reported in 19th February in Qom, and the country’s healthcare system was suddenly in crisis. Psychiatric hospitals, also faced a crisis. As the weeks go by, it is becoming increasingly clear that psychiatric hospitals must live with COVID-19 for weeks or months, while also providing their inpatient and outpatient services. It will be a big challenge to strike a balance between beneficence and non-maleficence to psychiatric patients. The following is taken from the expert opinion and experience, as well as a review of the experiences of other countries, in three parts: (1) special challenges of psychiatric hospitals, (2) recommendation for inpatient services, and (3) recommendation for outpatient services.