Is COVID-19 linked to depression in Long-haul patients?

June 17, 2021, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

COVID-19 continues to be linked to health problems particularly in 'long-haul' patients. These are people who have had more serious cases of COVID-19 and have symptoms that linger for months after recovery from the initial infection. Known issues include pulmonary and cardiac disorders, mood and fatigue, sleep disorders and now there is some question whether it is also linked to COVID-19. The Toronto Star published a good article that we are sharing with you today.

Is COVID-19 long-haul depression tied to brain inflammation? CAMH study aims to find out

By Nadine Yousif Mental Health Reporter
Fri., June 11, 2021

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health announced it has begun a clinical study on people who recovered from COVID-19 with long-haul symptoms of depression, with hopes of unlocking new treatment for those who are struggling.

The hospital announced the study Friday, led by Dr. Jeff Meyer, head scientist at CAMH’s Neurochemical Imaging Program in Mood and Anxiety Disorders. It is the first of its kind in Canada to study the link between COVID-19 and depression using rare imaging technology that detects inflammation in the brain.

Meyer said the focus on brain inflammation is informed by his research done in 2015, which revealed that brains of people with depression had 30 per cent more inflammation on average than those who are not depressed. That led to studies on whether anti-inflammation medication could help depressed patients recover.

For COVID long-haulers with symptoms of depression, Meyer said inflammation could be the reason behind the virus’s cognitive long-haul effects. In a recent survey of Canadians with lingering effects of COVID-19, many reported cognitive symptoms like “brain fog,” dizziness, anxiety and insomnia, with some struggling for up to 11 months after their initial infection.

“It’s possible that the brain inflammation could be important in causing the brain fog,” Meyer said. “The way to test this is to first show there is brain inflammation, and second that if you interfere with the brain inflammation, you’ll get some level of recovery.”

Meyer added that in other cognitive illnesses like Alzheimer’s or dementia, inflammation can lead to worsening of symptoms.

Research on long-term effects of COVID-19 has grown since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, with some linking the virus to a number of mental illnesses and cognitive impairments. A study published in The Lancet in April found one in three of COVID-19 patients was diagnosed with a psychiatric or neurological condition after their initial infection. For those sick enough to require hospitalization, 80 per cent had at least one neurological or mental side effect.

Meyer said CAMH’s study, which is currently recruiting participants, is focusing primarily on people who have experienced depression since testing positive for COVID-19, but will include those who experience other cognitive symptoms alongside depression. Proof of a positive test is required to participate, Meyer added, and can be obtained by contacting the centre where the test was done.

COVID-19 long-haulers have previously expressed the need for more research and treatment options in Canada, as well as frustration tied to experiencing lingering and debilitating symptoms of a virus scientists are still working to understand. Susie Goulding, the founder of Covid Long-Haulers Support Group Canada, previously told the Star her treatment involved multiple brain scans and several months of rehab with an interdisciplinary team of doctors.

“It hasn’t been easy,” Goulding said. “It’s been one struggle to the next.”

Meyer said part of the delay in conducting more research is due to the lengthy process it takes for research proposals and funding to be approved. For this study, Meyer said CAMH applied for funding from the Canadian Institute of Health Research after drafting a proposal for the study late last summer. Funding was finally approved this spring, he said, and the study began just over a month ago.

Meyer said CAMH is uniquely positioned to do this type of research, as it holds one of the few brain imaging centres in the world with Positron Emission Tomography, or PET capabilities. This technology goes further than MRIs or CT scans and can detect signs of brain inflammation that are not possible to see otherwise.

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

It is important that you review your accident benefit file with one of our experienced personal injury / car accident lawyers to ensure that you obtain access to all your benefits which include, but are limited to, things like physiotherapy, income replacement benefits, vocational retraining and home modifications.