Covid-19 Might Lead To A ‘Mental Health Pandemic’

The effects of Covid-19 are here to stay, including in the brain, at least according to a new study by Mario Mazza and colleagues in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. Patients in the study had their mental health assessed using clinical interviews and commonly used self-assessment screening tools.  One month after they presented to the emergency room with Covid-19 and then were either treated in the hospital or at home, out of 402 patients, 55% were found to have at least one psychiatric disorder. These included: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in 28%, Depression in 31%, Anxiety in 42%, Insomnia in 40%, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in 20 %.