A study conducted in the United States has suggested that COVID-19 is associated with a heightened risk of mental health disorders, including anxiety, depression, substance use disorders, and sleep disorders, up to one year following the infection. 

Investigators assessed data from the US Department of Veterans Affairs national healthcare databases to determine the risk of mental health outcomes in people who survived at least 30 days following a positive COVID test, from March 2020 through January 2021. The mental health outcomes in the COVID-19 dataset were compared with two other groups who had not been infected with the virus - a control group of over 5.6 million patients who did not have COVID-19 infection during the same period, and another control group of more than 5.8 million patients between March 2018 and January 2019, prior to the onset of the pandemic. The three groups were followed for one year. 

Individuals with COVID-19 had a 60% higher risk of a mental health diagnosis or prescription at one year, in comparison with the non-infected control group. COVID-19 was found to be linked to an added 24 per 1,000 people with sleep disorders, 15 per 1,000 individuals with depressive disorders, 11 per 1,000 people with neurocognitive decline, and 4 per 1,000 people with substance use disorders.

The findings are published in The BMJ… (ET Healthworld – PTI, February 17, 2022)