The impact of Covid infection and long Covid on mental health

Covid infection itself is also a cause of poor mental health, according to research by the GMB general union. In February 2021, it reported that more than half of health workers who contracted Covid said it had either some negative, or a severe medical, impact on their mental health. A survey of more than 3,000 health workers in roles across the NHS found 60% of those who contracted the virus said the experience had impacted on their mental health. They reported experiencing seizures, shock and emotional damage, but were unable to access mental health support. The union called on the government to outline a recovery plan for NHS workers.

A recent study by the National Institute for Health Research and the Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, published in The Lancet medical journal, examined 236,379 patients in the six months following diagnosis with Covid-19. It found a third received a neurological or psychiatric diagnosis, including ischaemic strokes, haemorrhages, parkinsonism, dementia, anxiety disorders and psychotic incidents, with 13% receiving their first such diagnosis. For patients admitted to an intensive treatment unit, the figures were 46% and 26% respectively.