Study finds COVID-19 may have consequences for mental health

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has affected may have consequences for the mental health of patients, healthcare professionals, and the population as a whole, according to new research published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.

For the study, researchers reviewed 43 scientific studies, 20 of which examined the mental health among healthcare professionals. An overweight of the studies found higher levels of anxiety and depression as well as mental stress and poor quality of sleep. 19 studies examined the mental health of the population as a whole. Here, too, it is the overall picture that the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be having a negative impact, the researchers said.

Only two studies have so far examined mental symptoms among patients with COVID-19. The studies showed that 96 percent of seriously ill hospitalized patients with COVID-19 infection exhibited symptoms of post-traumatic stress. They also found an increased risk of developing depression after hospitalization with COVID-19.

The researchers said they emphasize that significant reservations must be made because the included studies are of varying quality. The urgent societal and health crisis has led to faster than usual publication of scientific articles. In addition, most of the studies have been performed as online questionnaires and therefore do not have the same quality as thorough, clinical studies.

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