Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic and the countermeasures taken threatened population health and well-being. This study, which is part of the Integrated Health Monitor COVID-19, examined the impact of five different restrictive countermeasures (lockdowns, work-from-home advice, mandatory work-from-home rule, school closures, and closures of sports venues) implemented in the Netherlands during the COVID-19 pandemic on general practitioner (GP) contacts for mental health complaints. Methods: GP contacts were examined for anxiety, depression, fatigue, and irritability from electronic patient records. Data were derived from the Nivel Primary Care Database. This database holds records of 400 practices with 1.7 million registered patients and is representative of the Dutch population. Periods with and without measures (we examined the period from 2018 until 2022) were compared using Poisson regression models, correcting for seasonal effects, age, and gender. Results: Weeks with specific restrictive measures were accompanied by increased GP consultations. The strongest effects are visible for the closure of sports venues and lockdowns. Closure of sports venues was accompanied by increased contact for anxiety and depression among all age groups. GP contacts for depression increased among 5-14 and 15-24 year-olds during lockdowns. The work-from-home advice was accompanied by increases in contacts for fatigue and irritability in the same groups, and an increase in irritability among older age groups. The mandatory work-from-home rule was accompanied by increases in irritability, particularly among 45-74 year-olds. Unexpectedly, during school closures, GP contacts for mental health problems did not change. Conclusion: The study suggests that adolescents and young adults were most strongly affected by several restrictive measures, especially the closure of sports venues and lockdowns. Caution is appropriate when assigning causality, however. Countermeasures often overlapped in time, as governmental responses during periods of high infection rates typically consisted of a multi-pronged approach. This makes it difficult to discern the individual effects of specific countermeasures.
Bosmans et al. (Sun,) studied this question.