Patients who had severe cases of COVID-19 are reporting lasting depression and Anxiety

March 29, 2022, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

Depression is not uncommon in accident survivors, heart attack survivors and other serious illnesses and disease victims so it may not be a surprise that some patients who had severe cases of COVID are reporting long-term depression and anxiety, a year and a half after their initial infection.

A new study published in The Lancet Public Health examined data from 250,000 patients in northern Europe and concluded that:

Long-term mental and physical health consequences of COVID-19 (long COVID) are a persistent public health concern. Little is still known about the long-term mental health of non hospitalized patients with COVID-19 with varying illness severities. Our aim was to assess the prevalence of adverse mental health symptoms among individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the general population by acute infection severity up to 16 months after diagnosis.

It appears that approximately 4% of the people contracted COVID in the 18-month study period. Those with ‘serious’ illness (defined as being bedridden for 7 days or more) reported much higher rates of depression and/or anxiety. Their rates were 50-60% higher. Those with milder cases had a lower incidence of mental health problems.

You can read the entire study from The Lancet here.

Researchers were not surprised that the more serious the illness the higher the rate of depression and anxiety. Experts suggest that people who suffer long-term and persistent symptoms cannot get back to normal life. This causes distress which can easily result in depression and anxiety over the long term. If you have had a serious case of COVID-19 and are in a dispute with your insurer or employer about long-term disability eligibility then you should contact one of our highly experienced lawyers today for a free consultation.

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.