Case Report: Ethical Considerations Regarding Involuntary Hospitalization During The Covid-19 Outbreak

This case study describes the involuntary psychiatric hospitalization of a young male soldier following an acute manic-psychotic episode. The episode occurred while the soldier was in quarantine as protection from exposure to SARS-CoV-2. The soldier was discharged from hospital after two weeks with a diagnosis of transient psychotic episode. He was found negative for SARS-Cov-2 infection. To the best of the authors' knowledge, no previous literature exists on the ethical issues related to involuntary psychiatric hospitalizations during an epidemic. The current case highlights the need to reconsider the approach to psychiatric hospitalization in times of crisis such as the COVID-19 epidemic.