ANYONE who has been struck with Covid in the last year could still be at risk of mental health problems, a study has found.
People who were bedridden for seven days with a more serious infection were more likely to have depression and anxiety up to 16 months on.
A new study published in the Lancet Public Health journal suggests more unwell patients suffer poor sleep and distress for longer.
While the research found the mental health symptoms did subside in time, the longer a patient was bedridden, the longer the mental health effects lasted.
Over 16 months after being ill, patients who were bedridden for seven days or more continued to be 50-60 ill more likely to experience higher depression and anxiety compared to people never infected during the study period.
Study author Professor Unnur Anna Valdimarsdóttir, of the University of Iceland, says: “Our research is among the first to explore mental health symptoms after a serious Covid-19 illness in the general population up to 16 months after diagnosis.
“It suggests that mental health effects aren’t equal for all Covid-19 patients and that time spent bedridden is a key factor in determining the severity of the impacts on mental health.
“As we enter the third year of the pandemic, increased clinical vigilance of adverse mental health among the proportion of patients with a severe acute disease of Covid-19 and follow-up studies beyond the first year after infections are critical to ensure timely access to care.”
And interestingly, the study also found people diagnosed with milder Covid experienced less symptoms of depression and anxiety than those not diagnosed with Covid at all.
The researchers thought perhaps this is due to the worry about getting infected continuing for the non-patients, whereas those who tested positive could go back to life feeling relieved.
Patients with severe Covid-19 often experience inflammation which has previously been linked to chronic mental health effects, particularly depression.
Co-author Ingibjörg Magnúsdóttir, of the University of Iceland, added: “The higher occurrence of depression and anxiety among patients with Covid-19 who spent seven days or longer bedridden could be due to a combination of worrying about long-term health effects as well as the persistence of physical long Covid symptoms well beyond the illness that limit social contact and may result in a sense of helplessness.
“Equally, inflammatory responses among patients with a severe diagnosis may contribute to more persistent mental health symptoms.
“In contrast, the fact that individuals with a mild Covid-19 infection can return to normal lives sooner and only experience a benign infection likely contributes to the lower risk of negative mental health effects we observed.”
Throughout the pandemic there has been an increase in disorders such as anxiety, depressive disorders and stress and adjustment disorders.
Such conditions can lead to further mental health problems if not treated – with anxiety disorders also leading to issues such as panic attacks.
If you’re worried that you might be depressed, it’s important that you seek help in order to stop it escalating.
Trending In The News previously launched its You’re Not Alone campaign, to remind anyone facing a tough time that there is hope.
Another study revealed Covid survivors were also in danger of life-threatening conditions.
Scientists at Washington University in St Louis, have warned that anyone that’s recovered could be at risk of nasty complications in the year after infection.
These included:
- Heart attack
- Coronary artery disease
- Stroke
- Heart failure
- Blood clotting
- Irregular heartbeat
- Pulmonary embolism
- Anxiety disorders
- Depression
- Stress
The experts analysed the records of 150,000 Covid-positive people and found that the rate of conditions such as coronary disease, strokes and heart failure, was noticeably higher in those who had been infected compared to those who had not.
The researchers said that this difference was also visible in people who had mild cases of the virus – so may not have been hospitalised with the bug.
The risk of heart attack increased by 63 per cent after having Covid, while the risk of coronary artery disease or a stroke, was 72 per cent and 52 per cent respectively.
