Credit: Livia De Picker
A survey by Europe s main psychiatric and mental health patient organisations shows that only 4 out of 20 European countries prioritise COVID vaccinations for individuals with severe mental disorders (such as psychosis and mood problems), despite a wealth of scientific evidence showing that these patients are amongst the most at risk. This is published today in the peer-reviewed journal
Lancet Psychiatry.
The authors of the paper, and the major European mental health organisations, call for the European Union, as well as national health authorities to take concerted action to protect these vulnerable patients.
The authors reviewed official publicly available vaccine deployment plans and contacted clinicians in 20 European countries to confirm national vaccination policies. They found that only the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and the UK recognise severe mental illness as a high-risk medical condition eligible for early vaccination. Strikingly, the majo