A major American study has found that survivors of the COVID-19 virus are increasingly at risk of developing depression, anxiety, sleep problems, and drug use. According to the British newspaper "Daily Mail," researchers from Saint Louis University examined data from 150,000 military veterans in their sixties who tested positive for COVID-19 at the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021. All participants were tracked for a year, with their data compared to 5.6 million veterans who did not contract the virus during the study period.
The researchers found that COVID-19 survivors were 40% more likely to experience depression or difficulty sleeping, while suicidal thoughts were more common among them, with a 46% increased risk compared to those who did not contract the virus. Additionally, those recovering from the virus reported 20% higher rates of alcohol and drug use.
The study team confirmed that the more severe the COVID-19 infection, the greater the likelihood of reporting mental health issues. However, the researchers, who published their study in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), noted that their study was observational and could not provide an accurate scientific explanation for why the virus causes these mental health problems. Previous studies have suggested that COVID-19 damages blood vessels, including those in the brain, which harms nerve cells. Other studies have pointed to the mental health impact of COVID-19 isolation on patients.
These studies might explain the results of the recent research, but the researchers indicate that further investigation in this field is still needed.
