Study: U.S. covid patients face more mental health issues; Excela Health bracing for uptick
Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewJan 02, 2021
Jan. 1—Researchers at the
The study looked at electronic health records for 69 million
In the three months following a positive covid-19 test, 1 in 5 survivors was found to have received a diagnosis of anxiety, depression or insomnia for the first time. This is about twice as likely as for other groups of patients over the same period.
Dr.
"There's two 'Rs' that come to mind: how much resiliency does a person have, and how much risk are they exposed to?" McIntyre said. "The risk is very similar: it's the virus. But resiliency is very different. People are homeless, people don't have health care or they have little social support."
The isolation covid-19 patients experience — typically involving quarantine as the result of a positive test — can put added stress on them, particularly without a social support network of friends and family.
"We released a paper asking people about the feeling of loneliness," McIntyre said. "We found that 30% of people report themselves as categorically lonely, and loneliness is serious business. ... So people are being told to stay home, and for many people that means not having contact with anyone, and we need to think about how to address that from a public health perspective."
Dr.
"That happens with many individuals
Mizikar said
Oxford professor
"People have been worried that covid-19 survivors will be at greater risk of mental health problems, and our findings in a large and detailed study show this to be likely," Harrison said. "Services need to be ready to provide care, and we urgently need research to investigate the causes and identify new treatments."
At
"We're finding that allows us to have even better, more consistent contact with patients," Mizikar said. "It also takes away some of the other challenges — if someone can't get a ride to the clinic, we can 'come to them.'"
"It's increasing the support system,"
That support system can make a big difference in boosting the resiliency that McIntyre talked about.
"The
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