1 in 5 coronavirus people develop mental illness in 90 days: Report

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1 in 5 coronavirus people develop mental illness in 90 days: Report Image: Pexels.com
1 in 5 coronavirus people develop mental illness in 90 days: Report Image: Pexels.com

New Delhi : With time researchers are figuring out the side effects of coronavirus on humans; in a latest study, it has been found that 1 in 5 coronavirus positive people develop mental illness within 90 days.

According to the data, published in The Lancet Psychiatry Journal, 18 percent of observed COVID-19 patients were found to have a psychiatric disorder such as anxiety, depression or insomnia within 90 days after being diagnosed.

Researchers analyzed data from about 69 million people, 62,354 of whom were COVID-19 patients, to see if they were at an increased risk of psychiatric diagnoses following the infection as opposed to people with other health complications.

The results showed that people diagnosed with COVID-19 were more likely to have problems like anxiety disorder, insomnia and even dementia, as compared to those who were diagnosed with normal influenza. However, dementia occurred in patients above 65 years of age.

The study, funded by the National Institute for Health Research, concluded that while the data is preliminary, the findings encourage further analysis into the psychiatric effects of the coronavirus.

“Survivors of COVID-19 appear to be at increased risk of psychiatric sequelae, and a psychiatric diagnosis might be an independent risk factor for COVID-19,” the authors wrote.