05/08/2020
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3290526847681626&id=202067876527554
MAJORITY OF COVID-19 SURVIVORS SUFFER FROM MENTAL DISORDERS: STUDY
Researchers at San Raffaele hospital in Italy’s Milan have found that 55% people who were treated for Covid-19 had reported suffering from at least one psychiatric disorder one month after being discharged. The study monitored 402 patients and recorded their mental state after a month to conclude that 28% people suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 31% people suffered from depression, 42% from anxiety, while 40% suffered from insomnia and 20% had obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD).
The findings of the study published in the journal ‘Brain, Behavior and Immunity’, suggest that the effects felt by people may not just be a natural mental response to the stress caused by the disease but a variety of neurological factors caused by inflammation in the brain and central nervous system.
“PTSD, major depression, and anxiety are all high-burden non-communicable conditions associated with years of life lived with disability. Considering the alarming impact of Covid-19 infection on mental health, the current insights on inflammation in psychiatry, and the present observation of worse inflammation leading to worse depression, we recommend to assess psychopathology of Covid-19 survivors and to deepen research on inflammatory biomarkers, in order to diagnose and treat emergent psychiatric conditions,” said the study.
NEWS9 Digital spoke to psychiatrists and neurologists to understand what could be the various factors that were leading to an increase in psychiatric disorders among Covid-19 survivors.
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT
Dr Vijay Mehtry, a prominent psychiatrist from Bengaluru, says the psychiatric disorders could be due to psychological, social and biological factors.
“When we talk about depression from psychological factors, we are talking about anxiety due to uncertainty in treatment procedure. When we talk about social factors, it may be caused because patients are isolated from their families or because they may face stigma from society. When we talk about biological factors, it could be genetic predisposition or the effect that the disease had on the neurological structure of the patient,” he says.
Dr Mehtry also adds that each of these factors may add up to a person’s natural mental state and may affect each person differently. People who are predisposed to depression and other mental disorders may be affected more severely than someone who has no symptoms of mental illness.
THE BIOLOGICAL ASPECT
To understand how biological aspects could lead to depression, NEWS9 Digital spoke to Dr. Anil Kinsal, a prominent neurologist in New Delhi, who says it is quite common for any viral infection to cause depression.
“Any viral disease causes inflammation. When this inflammation is present in the brain or the central nervous system, it can temporarily change brain chemistry and change neurological pathways that can cause depression. This is not something that is a cause of concern because most people go back to their normal mental state within 6-8 weeks,” he said.
COURSE OF TREATMENT
Dr Vijay Mehtry says he has been coming across cases where patients have been depressed after being treated for Covid-19. He says because there is a lack of research into the biological aspects that cause depression due to Covid-19, the treatment course is not different from any other diagnoses of depression.
He says patients need a holistic treatment approach. This means giving them psychological therapy, counselling and medication depending on the symptoms. “However, we have noticed that most survivors may be normal without any medication after 6-8 weeks,” he says.
While Dr Kansal also says people’s mental state may return to normal state within 8 weeks, he stresses on the need for more research into brain disorders such as inflammation, stroke and psychosis to understand the immediate and long-term effects of Covid-19.
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