Study: Covid patients in the United States face more mental health problems.Excela Health brace for climb

Oxford University Researcher Present research We report the first large-scale evidence that covid-19 survivors are at increased risk of anxiety and depression.

The study examined electronic health records of 69 million US residents, including more than 62,000 covid-19 cases.

Three months after a positive covid-19 test, one in five survivors was found to be diagnosed with anxiety, depression, or insomnia for the first time. This is about twice as likely as other patient groups during the same period.

Dr. Roger McIntyre, CEO of alternative medicine business incubator Altmed and head of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Depression and Bipolar Disorder Support Alliance, said post-covid mental health depends on many factors. I did.

“There are two” R “s that come to mind. How resilient are people and how much risk are they exposed to? “McIntyre said. “The risks are very similar. It’s a virus. But the elasticity is very different. People are homeless, have no medical care, or have little social support.”

The experience of quarantined covid-19 patients (usually including quarantine as a result of a positive test) can put additional stress on the patient, especially in the absence of a social support network of friends and family.

“We have published a treatise that asks people about loneliness,” McIntyre said. “We found that 30% of people categorically report themselves as lonely. Loneliness is a serious business …. So people are told to stay home, and for many That means no contact with anyone, and we need to think of ways to deal with it from a public health perspective. “

Dr. George Mizikar, Director of Behavioral Health Services at Excela Health, said he expects mental health problems to increase as Westmoreland County is experiencing the same types of infections as the rest of the world.

“It happens in many individuals with serious medical conditions,” Mizikar said. “We talk about postpartum depression, post-cancer diagnosis, and post-heart surgery. They also have anxiety and depression, so even if they recover, some people are diagnosed regularly. It’s not so surprising to see. “

“Even the average person is increasingly demanding services related to anxiety and depression,” said Excella’s doctors, according to Midiker.

Professor Paul Harrison of Oxford University, who led the study, said that one-fifth of the numbers it produced are likely to have low estimates of actual numbers.

“People are worried that covid-19 survivors are at increased risk of mental health problems, and our findings in a large and detailed study show that this is likely. “Harrison said. “Services need to be ready to provide care, and there is an urgent need for investigation to investigate the cause and identify new treatments.”

One of the moves that helped with Excela was the rapid transition to telemedicine.

“We are discovering that it enables better and more consistent contact with patients,” said Mijikar. “It also removes some other challenges — if someone can’t get into the clinic, we can’come to them’. “

“It’s increasing the support system,” said Excela spokeswoman Robin Jennings.

Its support system can make a big difference in increasing the elasticity that McIntyre talked about.

“The World Health Organization defines’health’as physical health, mental health, and social well-being, and all three are needed,” he said. “If you are tired of postcovid, you are tired and lack motivation. If you are not really yourself, you may want to meet a caregiver.”

Patrick Varine is a staff writer for Tribune-Review. You can contact Patrick at 724-850-2862, [email protected] Or via Twitter ..