Facing the COVID Effect

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken the need for psychiatric care to a whole new level.  Quarantine and other effects of the pandemic have impacted the mental health of millions.  To best deal with something, we need to do our best to understand it.  Every day we help people hurt by the effects of the pandemic, and we anticipate doing so for a long time to come.

Many of us are always taking care of other people.  It is essential to care for yourself, and we can help with that.  This will be a series of posts on facts about COVID and depression.

COVID’s Impact on Mental Illness

We are combining research from multiple sources like the Johns Hopkins, The Lancet, and NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, done using health information from 69 million individuals in the US, including over 60,000 people diagnosed with coronavirus.

  • Having a psychiatric disorder in the year before contracting coronavirus is linked to a 65% greater risk for contracting the virus.
  • Approximately 6% of adults diagnosed with COVID developed a psychiatric disorder for the first time ever shortly after diagnosis.
  • Nearly 20% of COVID patients developed a new mental health problem within 90 days of diagnosis, often comorbid with another disorder.
  • The effects on young adults have been harsher than we could have expected. According to the CDC, young adults are particularly susceptible to substance abuse and suicidal ideation.
  • Numerous reports show COVID-19 patients frequently experience neurological complications. such as confusion, dizziness, delirium, and other cognitive impairments.

Our History with Coronavirus

These statistics are terrifying.  Another reason that coronavirus is displaying such a strong correlation with mental illness is the overwhelming stress on body and mind, whether from being ill, dealing with life during a pandemic, or both.

Problems with the respiratory system can interfere with blood supply to the brain.  Inflammation and swelling of tissues can further restrict airways, and issues with blood circulation can lead to a shortage of oxygen to the brain, creating severe side effects.

The SARS outbreak in 2003 and MERS outbreak in 2012—both caused by coronaviruses similar to the one that causes COVID-19—were also associated with neurological illnesses, including inflammation in the brain.  The respiratory aspect does not have to be profound.  A study by scientists in England of 43 patients with severe neurological complications from COVID-19 found that some patients had relatively mild respiratory symptoms (Paterson, R.W., et al., Brain, published online, 2020).

Contact Us

If you need help or have questions, call or write us any time.  We are offering some in-person services as well as telepsychiatry services.  If you need professional help immediately, the SAMHSA helpline is always in operation.