Recovering COVID-19 patients face mental health risks

Compared to patients recovering from other medical conditions, COVID-19 survivors are at greater risk of developing mental health problems, most commonly anxiety, depression and insomnia, psychiatrists reported on Monday.

The estimated incidence of a first psychiatric diagnosis within 90 days was 5.8% among COVID-19 survivors, compared to 2.8% in a comparison group of flu survivors, 3.2% in patients recovering from gallstones, and 2.5% in patients who had suffered fractures.

The study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, included more than 62,000 U.S. COVID-19 patients, about two-thirds of whom had never been diagnosed with a psychiatric illness. Mental health specialists not directly involved with the study said the findings add to growing evidence that COVID-19 can affect the brain and mind, increasing the risk of a range of psychiatric illnesses.

“This is likely due to a combination of the psychological stressors associated with this particular pandemic and the physical effects of the illness,” said Michael Bloomfield, a consultant psychiatrist at University College London.