[Psychiatry in the time of pandemic : forging new ways without getting lost].

Michaud, Laurent; Stiefel, Friedrich; Gasser, Jacques

Coronavirus pandemic challenges mental health care providers in different ways. At an individual level, they have to adapt their clinical practice and consider specific issues of teleconsultations to address patient's needs. At a population level, dedicated interventions (e.g. hotlines, health professionals' support) have to strike a balance between « pathologizing » people's reactions and trivializing the psychological effects of a pandemic. Finally, psychiatric leaders must be able to advise decision-makers on mental-health policy and communication.