The COVID-19 pandemic should be last orders for poor care of people with neurodevelopmental disorders

British Journal of Psychiatry

Fecha de publicación: 2 de marzo de 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2021.22

Autores: Andre Strydom, Elizabeth Corcoran and Anne-Sophie Rebillat

Background: The chaotic initial stages of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, which threatened to overwhelm health services in many regions in the northern hemisphere in the spring of 2020, exposed an uncomfortable truth: the most vulnerable individuals, including those with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), remain at the margins of society and their risks, health and mental health needs during emerging pandemics are consequently overlooked. Many clinicians, patients and caregivers were surprised that a so-called herd immunity approach could be considered by politicians (and some scientists) without giving consideration to which members of our communities might be more severely affected before this is achieved.