Mental health

This is a new literature review updated in may 2022. In case some essential information is missing, please contact us at: rafael@hcuge.ch.

The Impact of Long COVID-19 on Mental Health: Observational 6-Month Follow-Up Study 

Houben-Wilke S, Goërtz YM, Delbressine JM, Vaes AW, Meys R, Machado FV, van Herck M, Burtin C, Posthuma R, Franssen FM, Vijlbrief H, Spies Y, van 't Hul AJ, Spruit MA, Janssen DJ. JMIR Ment Health. 2022 Feb 24;9(2):e33704. doi: 10.2196/33704. PMID: 35200155.

In this longitudinal, observational study, symptoms of PTSD (Trauma Screening Questionnaire [TSQ] ≥6 points) and symptoms of anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS] ≥8 points) were assessed at 3 and 6 months after the onset of COVID-19–related symptoms in members of online long COVID-19 peer support groups. Data from 239 patients with confirmed COVID-19 (198/239, 82.8% female; median age: 50 [IQR 39-56] years) were analyzed. At the 3-month follow-up, 37.2% (89/239) of the patients had symptoms of PTSD, 35.6% (85/239) had symptoms of anxiety, and 46.9% (112/239) had symptoms of depression, which remained high at the 6-month follow-up (64/239, 26.8%, P=.001; 83/239, 34.7%, P=.90; 97/239, 40.6%, P=.08, respectively; versus the 3-month follow-up). TSQ scores and HADS anxiety and depression scores were strongly correlated at the 3- and 6-month follow-ups (r=0.63-0.71, P<.001). Symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression were comparable between hospitalized (n=62) and nonhospitalized (n=177) patients.

Link to study : The Impact of Long COVID-19 on Mental Health: Observational 6-Month Follow-Up Study