Medical Minute: Study links COVID-19 to increased mental health risks, especially for unvaccinated patients

Previous research has linked COVID-19 to heart attacks, heart failure, brain fog, diabetes, and gastrointestinal issues. But new findings suggest an even more concerning connection—mental health.

Researchers say COVID-19 is linked to higher rates of depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, opioid use disorders, and other substance abuse disorders, particularly in unvaccinated patients.

“So it’s really the neurologic manifestations that we’ve been able to characterize following SARS-CoV-2 infection that fall under the umbrella of long COVID. They are much wider in scope than just brain fog that most people talk about,” a researcher said.

Does Vaccination Help?

While vaccines reduce the risk, they do not eliminate it.

“Vaccine reduces the risk but does not eliminate the risk of these manifestations.”

Studies found that unvaccinated people who were hospitalized with COVID-19 were over 15 times more likely to develop depression, compared to more than 12 times for vaccinated hospitalized patients.

“You can think of it as when the tsunami hits and the water recedes, or when the earthquake stops or the earth stops shaking—you’re going to be left with the damage. It is each person’s choice, but they need to be aware of the risks when they make that decision.”

Long-Term Risks of COVID-19

Another study on long COVID found that non-hospitalized patients no longer had an increased risk of death three years after infection. However, for those who were hospitalized, the risk of death remained elevated even after three years.