Studies show that depressive symptoms after COVID respond well to antidepressants

The COVID pandemic has led to a significant increase in mental health problems. Now, in some good news, pilot studies have shown that depressed patients suffering from COVID respond better to standard antidepressants than those who do not have COVID.

Approximately 40% of COVID patients report developing depression within 6 months of infection. Inflammation caused by COVID is believed to be the main reason for the development of depression. Currently, a new study shows that about 90% of patients suffering from COVID respond to SSRIs, far more than expected.

The work was presented at the ECNP conference in Lisbon and approved for publication by a peer-reviewed journal. European Neuropsychopharmacology..

We know that COVID has led to the prevalence of mental health problems. Depression after COVID is a serious problem, with about 40% of COVID patients developing depression within 6 months of infection. However, this study shows that patients infected with COVID are more likely to manage depression than we thought. “

Mario Matzo MD, Senior Researcher, University of San Rafaele, Milan

Researcher in Professor Francesco Benedetti’s laboratory Psychiatry In clinical psychobiology at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, 58 patients with post-COVID depression were treated with SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) such as sertraline, paroxetine, fluvoxamine, and citalopram. .. Normally, about one-third of patients do not respond to SSRIs, but the team found that 91% of patients with depression after COVID responded to treatment within 4 weeks (the response was standard Hamilton depression). Measured using the disease rating scale: patients responded if the scale was reduced by 50% after 4 weeks of treatment considered).

Dr. Mazza continued:

“This is a pilot study that shows that post-COVID depression is treatable. We usually expected about 40 out of 58 patients to respond positively to treatment, In fact, 53 out of 58 responded. Due to SSRI’s anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties, post-COVID depression caused by infection and sustained by infection-related systemic inflammation We have assumed that we may benefit from antidepressant treatment. We are currently moving this work into larger trials. Whether SSRIs can also help with other post-COVID symptoms such as cognitive impairment and fatigue. I would like to investigate the role of inflammation in depression after COVID. “

Dr. Livia De Picker MD PhD (University of Antwerp, Belgium) commented that the study is of particular importance to a large group of patients and clinicians currently dealing with long-term COVID syndrome.

“Long COVID consists of a combination of persistent physical, psychological, and neurocognitive symptoms after COVID-19 infection and can vary widely from individual to individual. Still understanding all causes of long COVID. Even if not, this study shows post-COVID. Depressive symptoms respond very well to serotoninergic antidepressants. Recent studies have shown that such compounds cause severe COVID-19 in patients. This is not surprising to me, as it has been pointed out that it may protect against infection and several antidepressants are currently being studied as COVID-19 treatment options. We hope to facilitate further research into the mechanisms by which depressants serve both acute and long-term COVID-19 infections. Most importantly, these findings are relevant to the patient’s psychological health symptoms. It emphasizes the importance of screening and treatment. After being exposed to COVID-19, it suffers from persistent health problems. “