COVID-19 patients, one out of every five, might develop mental health disorder, research says.
Whatever is unknown or new, it can be scary. But what makes it a little less scary is research about it, getting to know it. So as the COVID pandemic took over the world and lockdowns were placed, researchers started studying the illness. Now some will focus on developing a vaccine, but the vaccine is not the only issue. There will be many more consequences of the virus, so all of these aspects need to be checked.
One of the many consequences will be mental health. Not even the disease specifically, but the lockdown resulting in the pandemic made people isolate. Lacking human interaction for months and months will make anyone slip into depression or trigger some other mental health illness.
COVID-19 Patients And Mental Health
But the research we are talking about is the one focused on COVID-19 patients specifically. Some psychiatrists got together to study the survivors, and they found that they are prone to have a mental health problem within 90 days. These mental health disorders include depression, insomnia, anxiety, as one would expect. But it can also lead to dementia.
This study has been authored by Paul Harrison, professor of psychiatry at the University of Oxford. He is urging more researchers to study more side effects and psychological consequences because once you know what you are dealing with, it is easier to find solutions for it.
“The virus might be directly affecting the brain in some ways, maybe through the immune system, which leads to the mental health problem,” Harrison told a publication.
The study was conducted in the USA with the subject population belonging to the country. We need to understand that each country, each culture will react differently to the whole phenomenon of the pandemic, so local researchers for each part of the world will be better able to understand the cultural elements attached to it.
Statistics of the Study
Moreover, according to further statistics from the study, we see that people who already had a history of mental health are more likely to suffer from mental health post recovering from covid. The stats go up to 65% for that.
Through research, Harrison identified that these mental health problems could primarily be due to specific two factors. But “more importantly, the experience of having had COVID-19 and understanding all the things that might have happened to you with all the fears and concerns that the virus led people to have, may also be a reason.”
“[Health] services need to be ready to provide care, especially since our results are likely to be underestimated [of the number of psychiatric patients].”
Simon Wessely, regius professor of psychiatry at King’s College London, said:
“COVID-19 affects the central nervous system, and so might directly increase subsequent disorders. But this research confirms that is not the whole story, and that this risk is increased by previous ill health.”
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