More than half of adults infected with COVID-19 have symptoms of depression, new study finds
- Researchers examined 3,904 individuals who had been infected with COVID-19 in the past but had since recovered
- Of the total, 2,046 patients, or 54.2%, met criteria that believed they had symptoms of depression
- Many reported sleeping problems or difficulty concentrating, loss of appetite, feeling tired or finding little pleasure in life
- Younger people were more likely to be depressed than older adults, and men were more likely to have symptoms than women
- People who said their cases of COVID were serious were five times more likely to report symptoms of depression
More than half of American adults previously infected with COVID-19 have symptoms of depression, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that 54.2 percent of patients who recovered from their disease met the criteria for “moderate or greater symptoms of major depression.”
Many reported sleeping problems or difficulty concentrating, loss of appetite, feeling tired or finding little pleasure in life.
The team, led by Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University, also found that people who reported their coronavirus case was severe were five times more likely to have symptoms related to depression.
A new study found that of 3,904 individuals who had been infected with COVID-19 in the past but had since recovered 54.2% met criteria that believed they had symptoms of depression (above)
People who said their cases of COVID were serious were five times more likely to report symptoms of depression. Pictured: Health professionals use a CPAP machine on a COVID-19 patient at Providence St Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley, California, January 2021
For the study, published in JAMA Network Open, the team looked at data from eight surveys conducted between June 2020 and January 2021.
The number of respondents has been reduced to 3,904 who said they had been infected with COVID-19 in the past, but had since recovered.
She was asked to rate how severe their illness was and whether they had any persistent symptoms since testing negative.
All participants completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), a diagnostic tool used to diagnose mood disorders such as depression.
Patients are asked about their mood or behavior over the past two weeks, including whether they “had little interest or pleasure in doing things” or “felt depressed, depressed, or hopeless.”
Those taking the survey can choose one of the following ‘not at all’, ‘several days’, ‘more than half the days’ or ‘almost every day’, which are scored from zero to three.
On a scale of zero to 27, people with a score of 10 or higher are considered moderately or severely depressed.
Of the participants, 2,046 or 52.4 percent scored high enough to be considered symptoms of major depression.
Researchers found that younger people were more likely to be depressed than older adults, with the risk of symptoms increasing by 24 percent each decade.
Women who had COVID-19 were about 28 percent less likely to have depressive symptoms compared to men.
In addition, people suffering from severe COVID were five times more likely to report symptoms of depression.
Those who had headaches while infected were 33 percent more likely to be depressed afterwards, the researchers found.
There was no association between other specified Covid symptoms, such as loss of taste and smell, and the risk of depression.
“Our results add to a growing body of evidence suggesting the importance of considering possible neuropsychiatric consequences of COVID-19 infection,” the authors wrote.
“Our results also suggest the importance of considering strategies that can reduce the increased risk of depressive symptoms after acute infection.”
