1 in 5 COVID-19 Patients Develop Mental Illness Within 90 Days
In a new study is now showing that 1 in 5 COVID-19 patients are more likely to develop mental illness within 90 days or being diagnosed with the novel virus.
The study, which arrives out of Britain’s Oxford University, found that patients infected with coronavirus were soon diagnosed with anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, insomnia, and dementia. It’s also noted that people who are concerned about the virus are more likely to develop these mental illnesses.
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Oxford professor of psychiatry, Paul Harrison says, “People have been worried that COVID-19 survivors will be at greater risk of mental health problems, and our findings … show this to be likely.” The study evaluated medical records for 69 million people in the US, with over 60,000 of them infected with COVID-19. It’s also noted that 65 percent of people with mental illness were more likely to test positive for the virus — similar to a study with pneumonia.
Simon Wessely, a professor of psychiatry at King’s College London, adds, “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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