The Covid-19 pandemic has caused unseen socio-economic changes all over the world, where enormous efforts are being made to preserve lives and maintain functional health systems. A secondary concern is to mitigate the severe economic consequences of the crisis. Different approaches have been adopted with varying outcomes and experiences. But regardless of the different approaches taken, one thing is common for all societies during this pandemic: fear and anxiety. This fear extends from concerns about the present situation, for the health and well-being of family members and loved ones from Covid-19 infection, to fears relating to how long the crisis will last, to the potential economic consequences of the pandemic (perhaps not seen in our lifetimes) and the ultimate fear of future uncertainty. Across the world, health systems are being faced with unprecedented challenges. At their core, these challenges are the same: how to beat Covid-19. Certainly, there are differences in how individual systems are organized and how they address the main issues arising from the pandemic while not forgetting the ongoing healthcare needs of the general population. In this paper, we share some perspectives from Croatia regarding Child and Adolescent Mental Health services (CAMHs) in these extraordinary circumstances. We give our personal insights on deficiencies in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services prior to the arrival of Covid-19, which have contributed to difficulties in mitigating and managing the ongoing crisis.

Novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) has shaken the existence of mankind worldwide, including that of New Zealand. In comparison to other countries, New Zealand has had a very low number of confirmed and probable cases as well as COVID-19-related deaths. New Zealand closed its borders and rapidly declared a stringent lockdown to eliminate COVID-19. The country’s ‘go hard, go early’ policy serves as an exemplar for the rest of the world to date. The mysterious nature of COVID-19 has caused tremendous stress and uncertainty leading to universal conflict between public health and state economy. Mental health services and non-government organisations have been proactive in the fight against COVID-19. Though there has been no significant rise in referrals to secondary mental health services to date (4 May 2020), a rapid surge in mental health presentations is widely anticipated. Telehealth may prove to be an efficient and cost-effective tool for the provision of future health services.

Coronavirus disease (also known as COVID-19) continues to spread throughout the world. In Turkey, which has a strong health system, most hospitals have been turned into pandemic hospitals, elective procedures have been postponed, and doctors have been reassigned to treat COVID-19. Efforts to limit spread of COVID-19 have been effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19. Behind this success was not only the intrinsic strength of the health system but also the strict changes in everyday life wrought by the crisis. It is an inescapable fact that these new measures, such as the imposition of curfew and lockdown, have had a significant effect on the mental health of the general population. Anxiety caused by COVID-19 has spread to the mental state of everyone. Although coronavirus-related diseases will end soon, it is predicted that serious psychiatric disorders will be a lasting consequence of the pandemic. Despite the many negatives brought by COVID-19, it has led to a positive unity between the public and healthcare professionals, and in spite of significant risks to their own health, healthcare workers have risen to the challenge of COVID-19.

After coming out of the state debt crisis, Greece is facing yet another crisis – that of the COVID-19 pandemic. The key challenges facing the organizational structure and function of the Greek public health system in order to meet the populations’ health needs are discussed. Social distancing, through imposed national lockdown very early in the pandemic, has been a key emergency public health measure that has saved lives. However, the system needs to enhance its capacity, through strengthening primary health and social support care, to be able to meet existing unmet health needs, the impact of the pandemic on mental health, as well as to tackle future new waves of outbreak. The related changes in health service provisions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic call for developing new models and novel approaches for delivering effective mental health services.

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic affect all groups in society. People with intellectual disability (ID) are especially vulnerable to the physical, mental and social effects of the pandemic. Cognitive impairments can limit understanding of information to protect them relying on carers to be vigilant on their behalf during quarantine. Restrictions on usual activities are likely to induce mental stress especially among those who are autistic leading to an escalation in challenging behaviours, risk of placement breakdown and increased the use of psychotropic medication. People with ID are vulnerable to exploitation by others where the usual community supports no longer function to protect them. In future pandemics, it is important that lessons are learned from the impacts COVID-19 have on people with ID. Collecting the evidence through a rigorous approach should help to empower people with ID and their carers to face future outbreaks of infectious diseases.

Since COVID-19 first emerged internationally, Australia has applied a number of public health measures to counter the disease’ epidemiology. The public heath response has been effective in virus testing, diagnosing and treating patients with COVID-19. The imposed strict border restrictions and social distancing played a vital role in reducing positive cases via community transmission resulting in ‘flattening of the curve’. Now is too soon to assess the impact of COVID-19 on people’s mental health, as it will be determined by both short- and long-term consequences of exposure to stress, uncertainty, loss of control, loneliness and isolation. The authors explored cultural and societal influences on mental health during the current pandemic utilising Geert Hofstede’s multidimensional construct of culture and determined psychological and cultural factors that foster resilience. We also reflected on the psychological impact of the pandemic on the individual and the group at large by utilising Michel Foucault’ and Jacques Lacan’ psychoanalytic theories. Remote Aboriginal Australian communities have been identified as a high-risk subpopulation in view of their unique vulnerabilities owing to their compromised health status, in addition to historical, systemic and cultural factors. Historically, Australia has prided itself in its multiculturalism; however, there has been evidence of an increase in racial microaggressions and xenophobia during this pandemic. Australia’s model of cultural awareness will need to evolve, from reactionary to more reflective, post COVID-19 pandemic to best serve our multicultural, inclusive and integrated society.

As in other European countries, the current COVID-19 pandemic has not only massively restricted normal life in Germany but it is also having a significant effect on medical treatment, particularly in the areas of child and adolescent psychiatric care, as well as on university teaching. The federal structure of Germany and epidemiological differences between individual federal states have had a crucial impact on the regulations issued and their success. During the last number of weeks, tele-child-psychiatry and psychotherapy have increased, and outpatient services have been used cautiously and sparingly. Medical staff numbers will be augmented by doctors and nurses returning from retirement and also by medical students on a voluntary basis. The federal government has warned that discrepancies in education will increase due to the closure of schools. Questions of child protection are currently of particular importance in the context of such closures and the non-availability of day-care centers.