found one in three COVID-19 survivors were diagnosed with a brain or psychiatric disorder within six months of recovering from the illness.
The study was conducted via an analysis of more than 236,000 patient medical records, most of them Americans. Out of 14 disorders the researchers looked at, anxiety and depression were the most common diagnoses. Stroke and dementia were among some of the other neurological disorders that came up during the study, but the incidence of these were more rare and more likely to occur only after severe cases of COVID-19.
“Although the individual risks for most disorders are small, the effect across the whole population may be substantial,”Paul Harrison, a professor at Oxford University who co-led the study. The scope of the study did not include investigating the possible biological mechanisms behind the increased incidence of psychiatric disorders among COVID-19 survivors, but the authors of the study say the findings demonstrate the need for additional research, as well as more mental health services.