Individuals suffering from mental illnesses face an increased risk of contracting more severe forms of COVID-19 and dying from it, according to a recent study that urges prioritization of these individuals in vaccination campaigns. This situation may be attributed to “barriers to accessing medical treatments” and “immune-inflammatory changes resulting from mental disorders” themselves or the effects of the treatments they undergo, as reported by two researchers involved in the study in a statement issued by the "Fondamental" Foundation, which encompasses a network of researchers in the field of mental illnesses.
This article summarizes 33 studies published on the subject in 22 countries, concluding that individuals with mental disorders face a twofold higher risk of dying from COVID-19 compared to others infected with the virus. This particularly applies to individuals with psychotic disorders, mood fluctuations, addiction, or cognitive developmental delays, but not to those suffering from anxiety disorders. The use of sedative and antidepressant medications significantly increases the risk of death.
The study published in the British journal "The Lancet Psychiatry" on July 15 shows that patients with mental disorders face a 2.2 times greater risk of being hospitalized when infected with COVID-19.
**Sedative Treatments**
Another hypothesis presented to explain this increased risk is that “sedative treatments may elevate the risk of cardiovascular diseases and blood clots, affect immune response, and interact with medications used to treat COVID-19,” according to Marion Lépine, director of the "Fondamental" Foundation.
Livia De Becker from the Dafal University Hospital for Mental Illnesses in Belgium stated, “We know that these patients face significant barriers to accessing medical care, and our findings suggest that limited access to treatments may play a role in the increased deaths recorded in these populations.”
The researchers point out that "our findings highlight the importance of adopting targeted approaches to prevent the spread of the virus among this patient group." De Becker emphasized that "public health authorities should take targeted measures to ensure broader vaccination coverage for these individuals and address the barriers to treatment access."
