COVID-Related Mental Health
Mental health conditions can be biologically driven as well as environmentally. And the mind-body connection has been no more apparent than with the emergence of COVID-related mental health issues.
Read on to learn about COVID-related psychosis. Then explore how depression and anxiety closely tie with pandemic concerns. Finally, review the mental and psychological effects of COVID-19 on several population groups.
COVID Psychosis
COVID has not been generally linked to issues of psychosis, and the two conditions do not seem to be primarily related.
That said, in rare cases, individuals have experienced periods of psychosis during or after a COVID-19 infection, reporting disturbing hallucinations and delusions that led to significant emotional distress. While it may seem unexpected for an infectious illness, there is precedence for medical conditions to cause psychiatric symptoms. And mounting evidence shows that inflammation plays a role in many psychiatric disorders.
Reasons An Individual May Experience COVID Psychosis:
COVID psychosis may result from the cytokine storm immune response when a COVID-19 infection takes hold, possibly causing inflammation in the brain and nervous system.
The COVID-19 virus also mimics several human proteins, some of which are involved in processes such as inflammation and neurotransmission. This mimicry may contribute to psychosis symptomology.
Individuals getting treatments for the COVID-19 infection may be at risk for psychosis, a known adverse effect of hydroxychloroquine and corticosteroids.
COVID-19 Depression
Depression symptoms are included as part of post-COVID syndrome, a constellation of symptoms individuals may experience twelve weeks or more beyond the initial infection. The reported rate of depression among these individuals ranges from 11% to 28%, indicating a high frequency of clinically significant symptoms.
Inflammation has been established as a factor in mental health conditions. COVID-19 infections create a state of hyperinflammation, but its relationship to the severity or frequency of depression symptoms is unclear.
Depression symptoms are not limited to post-COVID syndrome, however. The pandemic has resulted in distressing changes such as social isolation, job loss, economic uncertainties, and school disruption. These effects are seen at an even higher rate among socially disadvantaged populations where financial strain is significant.
COVID Anxiety Syndrome
COVID anxiety syndrome has been informally recognized as an emerging mental health concern. Individuals with this syndrome have an attentional bias toward COVID-related stimuli, resulting in pervasive emotional distress and functional impairment.
Key Characteristics of COVID Anxiety Syndrome Include:
Avoiding public spaces, public transportation, or other shared spaces out of concern for contracting the virus.
Obsessively checking oneself symptoms of COVID-19.
Monitoring threats by observing others around them for potential COVID-19 symptoms.
Worrying about worst-case scenarios involving themselves or loved ones becoming ill.
Some avoidance and isolation may be necessary when realistic safety concerns arise regarding COVID-19 exposure or infection. However, individuals with COVID anxiety syndrome persist with maladaptive coping methods even when the threat subsides. Core personality traits also seem to differentiate who may develop this syndrome. High extroversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness may have a protective effect, while neuroticism appears to be a risk factor.
Mental and Psychological Effects of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has been persistently distressing worldwide, with some individuals being more vulnerable to the development of mental health issues. Anxiety, depression, distress, and insomnia have been reported at higher rates than expected since the spring of 2020 as the pandemic quickly spread.
Population Groups With COVID-Related Mental Health Issues
Individuals who are immunocompromised, have chronic health conditions, or are 70 years of age and older are more likely to face isolation and miss the benefits of social support.
Reported anxiety and depressive symptoms among children and adolescents have nearly doubled since before the pandemic.
Healthcare workers have faced the perils of the pandemic from the start, struggling with high rates of insomnia and psychological distress.
Individuals who have been quarantined become emotionally distressed from concern over their health, isolation, and significant disruption in their daily lives. Unsurprisingly, they also report high rates of anxiety and depression symptoms.
Individuals facing economic uncertainty, including disadvantaged groups such as ethnic and racial populations, are highly vulnerable to deteriorating mental health.
COVID-19 and Mental Health: A Lasting Impact
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented another opportunity to explore the biological roots of psychiatric symptoms. Whether driven by the mechanics of infection or by distressing circumstances from the pandemic, the mental and psychological effects of COVID-19 may have a lasting impact.
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