Covid-19 survivors likely to face higher mental health risks: Study
Washington, February 18: With over two years of Covid-19 pandemic and followed restrictions, countless people across the world have undergone varying degrees of uncertainty, isolation and mental health challenges. Many people are still severely affected by mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
Amid this, new research has revealed that people who have had Covid-19 have a significantly higher chance of experiencing mental health issues.
The research published in the journal 'The BMJ' was conducted by the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System.
The study mentions disorders such as anxiety, depression, and suicide ideation, as well as opioid use disorder, illicit drug and alcohol use disorders, and disturbances in sleep and cognition.
In the study which looks into the mental health outcomes in people with coronavirus infections, researchers found that such disorders arose within a year after recovery from the infection in people who had serious as well as mild infections.
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According to the study, people who had Covid were 60 percent more likely to suffer from mental health issues than those who were not infected, leading to increased use of prescription medication to treat such problems and elevated risks of substance use disorders like opioids and nonopioids including alcohol and illicit drugs.
The figures show that over 403 million people across the globe and more than 77 million in the U.S. alone have been infected with the virus since the pandemic started.
"Covid infections likely have contributed to more than 14.8 million new cases of mental health disorders worldwide and 2.8 million in the U.S.," says senior author Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University.
According to study results, compared with those who haven't had Covid infections, people who contracted the virus were 35 percent more likely to suffer from anxiety disorders and nearly 40 percent more likely to experience depression or stress-related disorders that can affect behaviour and emotions.
This coincides with a 55 percent increase in the use of antidepressants and a 65 percent increase in the use of benzodiazepines to treat anxiety.
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Similarly, people who have recovered from Covid are 41 percent more likely to have sleep disorders, while 80 percent are more likely to experience neurocognitive decline. Neurocognitive decline refers to forgetfulness, confusion, a lack of focus and other impairments, commonly known together as brain fog.
Further, those infected with the Coronavirus are 34 percent more likely to develop opioid use disorders than compared with people without COVID-19, and 20 percent are more likely to develop nonopioid substance use disorders involving alcohol or illegal drugs. The study also reported that 46 percent of such people are more likely to have suicidal thoughts.
"Furthermore, we expect that the problem will worsen as cases appear to be growing with time. To be honest, the extent of this mental health problem is shocking, terrifying, and heartbreaking," said the authors of the study.
Further, we expect the problem to grow because cases seem to be increasing over time. Frankly, the scope of this mental health crisis is jarring, frightful and sad.
"Our goal was to provide a comprehensive analysis that will help improve our understanding of the long-term risk of mental health disorders in people with Covid-19 and guide their post-infection health care," the team added.
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-PTC News
