Covid impacts on mental health: Here's what study reveals

Taking care of mental health is just as important as taking care of physical health. People frequently ignore problems with their mental health. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the incidence of neurological illnesses and mental health issues among COVID survivors has been of concern.

According to numerous studies, a significant percentage of people experience issues of this sort, and the dangers are higher than those associated with other infections. Taking precautions against the virus to prevent additional health effects has become a top priority as COVID-19 instances continue to rise.

These difficulties were investigated in a recent study that was published in The Lancet Psychiatry. Researchers examined the prevalence of 14 main neurological and psychiatric diseases in these participants for up to two years in analyses directed by Maxime Taquet using the electronic health records of nearly 1.25 million people with COVID, mostly from the US.

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Researchers compared these risks to those in a closely similar control group who had been identified as having a different respiratory infection than COVID. Children (under the age of 18), adults (18–65), and older people (over 65) were all evaluated independently in the study.

The research findings indicated a mix of both positive and negative effects. Fortunately, although experts discovered a higher chance of common psychological illnesses (such as anxiety and depression) following COVID infection, this elevated risk quickly decreased.

There was no overall excess of these conditions over the two-year period, and the rates of these disorders among COVID patients were similar to those of patients with other respiratory infections within a few months. Positively, the results showed that children's risk of developing these diseases was not higher at any point following COVID infection.

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Additionally, it was shown that COVID patients did not have a higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease, which had been a worry at the beginning of the epidemic. While generally still low, the chances of developing certain illnesses, such as psychosis, seizures or epilepsy, brain fog, and dementia, increased during the course of the two years following COVID infection.

In the two years following COVID, for instance, the risk of dementia in older people was 4.5% as opposed to 3.3% in those who had another respiratory infection. According to research, Omicron is a considerably milder variant than the prior delta type, but patients nevertheless had a similar risk of developing neurological and behavioural disorders.

However, data for people who contracted this strain of omicron only extends to roughly five months after infection because of how recently it first surfaced. The study paints a complex picture overall, with some illnesses showing a temporary extra risk following COVID and others having a permanent danger.

In youngsters, the results are generally optimistic, but there are a few alarming exceptions. Despite the fact that omicron is a milder form overall and is currently dominant in the world, data indicate that the burden of these illnesses is likely to persist.

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The findings do not account for individuals who may have had COVID but whose condition was not noted in their medical records, possibly because they did not exhibit any symptoms. Additionally, because there is less information available regarding vaccination status and some research participants contracted COVID before vaccines were made available, the study is unable to adequately assess the effect of vaccination.

The study's findings also show that the risks are related to those who have experienced prior respiratory illnesses. The severity and duration of the illnesses are also unknown to researchers.

Finally, because the study is observational, it is unable to shed light on how or why COVID is linked to these risks. The immune response to the infection, the prevalence of the virus in the neurological system, or issues with blood vessels are some of the current theories.