Researchers find COVID-19 diagnosis could leave mental disorders after virus is gone

A COVID-19 diagnosis may have a longer effect on a patient than originally thought.

The illness is primarily a respiratory sickness, but there can be an impact on a person’s mental health.

A new study published in the Journal Lancet Psychiatry found that nearly 1 in 5 patients diagnosed with the coronavirus have been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder weeks after the COVID-19 diagnosis, NPR reported.

Some of the disorders included anxiety, depression and insomnia, even dementia, CBS News reported.

The study looked at the records of 69.8 million patients in the U.S. with 62,000 people who had the coronavirus, NPR reported.

When looking at health issues, patients with COVID-19 were more likely to develop a mental health issue than those who had other illnesses or injuries like kidney stones, a broken bone or the flu.

The rate is about double for COVID-19 when compared to other health issues, BBC News reported.

The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford.

Researchers are not sure if COVID-19 is the cause or if it is due to outside influences, CBS News reported.

You can read the study’s findings here.

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