Among people who were unvaccinated, the elevated incidence of mental illnesses was higher for up to a year after severe Covid-19.
“The main surprise was that the association of COVID-19 with subsequent mental ill-health appeared restricted to severe COVID-19 that led to hospitalisation.
“The most likely explanation for the stronger associations in older adults is that they are more likely to develop severe COVID-19 leading to hospitalisation,” Sterne said.
Those conditions included depression, general anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, addiction, self-harm, suicide and other severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and psychotic depression.
People who were hospitalized with severe Covid-19 had the strongest association with depression.
Separate research suggests that hospitalizations for any severe sickness can be associated with a higher long-term risk of new mental health diagnoses.
Does it put some people at risk of depression or stress disorders and all of that?
“We found that the people who were hospitalized for Covid had a much higher risk of serious neurologic problems, including neuropsychiatric disorders, including mental health problems,” Al-Aly said.
Editor’s Note: Please contact a trained counselor by calling the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 to speak with someone who is experiencing suicidal thoughts or mental health issues, or visit the 988 Lifeline website.
A new study indicates that those who were not vaccinated against Covid-19 have the strongest correlation with having a severe case of the disease and an increased risk of developing mental illnesses, such as anxiety and depression, in the future.
The incidence of mental illness was higher in the weeks following a Covid-19 diagnosis in the study, which was published on Wednesday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. However, the increased incidence was significantly lower in individuals who had received the coronavirus vaccination as opposed to those who had not. The increased incidence of mental illnesses among unvaccinated individuals persisted for up to a year following severe Covid-19.
Additionally, compared to those who were not hospitalized for Covid-19, the study indicated that the elevated incidence of mental illnesses was greater and persisted longer in those who were hospitalized for the disease.
The primary finding was that the correlation between COVID-19 and subsequently developing mental illness seemed to be limited to cases of severe COVID-19 that required hospitalization. Dr. Jonathan Sterne, a professor of medical statistics and epidemiology at the University of Bristol Medical School and one of the study’s authors, stated in an email that there was not much evidence linking COVID-19 infections that did not result in hospitalization to following mental illness.
In comparison to younger age groups and women, the researchers—who were affiliated with the University of Bristol Medical School and other UK institutions—also discovered stronger correlations between older adults and men.
Sterne stated, “The most likely explanation for the stronger associations in older adults is that they have a higher risk of hospitalization due to severe COVID-19.”. The somewhat stronger associations in men may also be explained by this, though a definitive explanation is still lacking. “.
Three adult age groups in England, ranging from 18 to 110 years old, had data from their electronic health records included in this new study. A group comprising approximately 18 point 6 million individuals was diagnosed with Covid-19 between January 2020 and June 2021, prior to the availability of vaccinations. The two other groups of people were diagnosed with Covid-19 between June 2021 and December 2021. These groups comprised approximately 14 million vaccinated individuals and approximately 3 point 2 million unvaccinated individuals.
The number of mental health diagnoses that each group’s members received in the weeks following their Covid-19 diagnosis was closely examined by the researchers. Depression, general anxiety disorders, eating disorders, addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, self-harm, suicide, and other severe mental illnesses like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and psychotic depression were among these conditions.
In general, the study’s most prevalent mental illness was depression.
The researchers discovered that the incidence of depression in the four weeks following a Covid-19 diagnosis was 1.93 times higher in those who had the disease prior to vaccinations becoming available, 1.79 times higher in the unvaccinated group, and 1.16 times higher in the vaccinated group.
The data indicated that the overall incidence of depression persisted at a high level for a duration of 28 weeks, and for as long as 102 weeks in the group that contracted Covid-19 prior to the availability of vaccinations.
Depression was most strongly associated with hospitalized patients with severe Covid-19. When a Covid-19 diagnosis necessitated hospitalization, the incidence of depression among individuals who contracted the infection prior to vaccines becoming available was 16 points higher than it was without hospitalization, with a difference of 1 point 22.
Dr. Venexia Walker, a senior research fellow in epidemiology at the University of Bristol and one of the study’s lead authors, stated in a news release, “Our findings have important implications for public health and mental health service provision, as serious mental illnesses are associated with more intensive healthcare needs and longer-term health and other adverse effects.”.
The latest research is released in the midst of a major Covid-19 outbreak in the US. Wastewater now has the highest levels of viral activity since July 2022, during a summer surge. Additionally, it is anticipated that the US Food and Drug Administration will soon approve updated Covid-19 vaccinations for the upcoming fall and winter months.
The director of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Dr. Dan Barouch, who was not involved in the research, noted that the new data might not accurately reflect the current situation.
The study only examines people in 2020 and 2021, during the pandemic’s early pre-Omicron stages. Because most people have received multiple vaccinations or infections by 2024, there is a higher level of population immunity, making it unclear how applicable these data are to the current epidemic, according to Barouch.
The population today is significantly different from that of 2020 and 2021. He stated, “Therefore, although this paper is fascinating and significant, it actually represents a population at a different point in the pandemic, when people’s baseline immunity was very different. “It’s actually unclear how much of the current epidemic in 2024 these data apply to. “.
Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, a clinical epidemiologist at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, stated that the new research is not the first to demonstrate a link between Covid-19 and a higher risk of mental illness. Louis, who did not work on the paper but has researched the effects of Covid-19 on mental health outcomes.
As for Covid’s impact on the brain, Al-Aly stated, “I think the picture here is clear from this paper, and it’s aligned with what we have learned over the past several years on Covid’s effect on the brain – and that is, here, that’s in the form of several mental health disorders.”.
The higher frequency of mental illness that seems to be linked to severe Covid-19 infection could be the result of hospitalization alone, or it could be the infection itself. A higher long-term risk of receiving a new mental health diagnosis may be linked to hospitalizations for any serious illness, according to separate research.
Al-Aly stated he believes both factors are at play, even though the new study does not address the question of whether the association is caused by Covid-19 specifically or by being extremely ill in general.
“People who are hospitalized experience severe stress, poor eating and sleeping habits, and unfamiliar surroundings. “Absolutely, yes, it does put some people at risk of depression, stress disorders, and all that,” he stated.
However, in a study that was published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases last year, Al-Aly and his associates discovered that out of over 92,000 hospitalized patients, those with Covid-19 had a higher risk of various mental health consequences, whereas patients with the flu did not.
According to our research, individuals who were admitted to the hospital due to Covid-19 had a significantly increased risk of developing severe neurological issues, such as neuropsychiatric disorders and mental health issues, according to Al-Aly. When you compare individuals who were hospitalized for Covid-19 to those who were hospitalized for the flu, you can clearly see that there is something special or unusual about Covid-19 that increases the risk of neuropsychiatric issues. “.
