Wash U study shows higher rates of depression, anxiety in COVID-19 survivors
People who have tested positive for the coronavirus are more likely to suffer from mental health problems, even after they recover, according to a study from researchers at Washington University and the St. Louis Department of Veterans Affairs.
Using a database of VA patients, researchers compared the records of more than 150,000 people who tested positive for the virus to records of millions of patients who did not. They found that during the pandemic, those who had COVID-19 were 60% more likely to report symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress, substance use disorder or other mental health issues.
“More than 75 million people in the U.S. have had COVID-19,” said senior author Ziyad Al-Aly, an epidemiologist at Washington University and the St. Louis Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System. “I think that we need to devote a little more effort and conversation to the long-term consequences.”
Al-Aly has studied the long-term effects of COVID-19 throughout the pandemic. He said many people have experienced depression and stress since the pandemic began, even those who have not tested positive for the virus. That's why researchers sought to determine if those who caught the virus were more prone to develop mental health problems.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/coronavirus/2022-02-18/wash-u-study-shows-higher-rates-of-depression-anxiety-in-covid-19-survivors