Studies suggest that stress and the effect of the virus on the brain put people at a higher risk of psychological or neurological conditions. After observing almost half a million patients in America, the reports indicated signs of stroke, Parkinson’s, brain haemorrhage, dementia, anxiety, mood disorders, psychosis, and Guillain-Barré syndrome in people. Mood swings and anxiety were most prevalent with individuals with COVID-19, probably because of stress associated with the sense of sickness or staying in the hospital. Dementia and stroke-like symptoms in Covid patients were supposedly the results of the biological changes or reactions.
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Observations about Covid-induced mental health conditions by William D King
The reasons and consequences
The research at the University of Oxford revealed that Covid had more impact on patients’ brains than their respiratory systems after comparing people from different age groups, gender, health backgrounds, and ethnicity. Almost 16% showed risks of succumbing to psychological or neurological conditions after the infection than other respiratory disorders. The severity of COVID-19 also had a tremendous role to play in their mental health or brain condition. For example, almost 24% of the people exhibited challenges like mood swings, psychosis, and anxiety after contracting Covid. And it rose to 25% among hospitalization cases. The mental health risks went up by 28% among people in the ICU and 36% among those with delirium issues.
Likewise, nearly 2% of Covid cases experienced strokes, which rose to 7% among ICU patients and 9% of those with delirium.
As William D King points out, proofs show that virus causes direct and indirect brain effects. Brain damage is the natural consequence, while blood clotting is the indirect result of the same. The issue of blood clotting can happen due to general inflammation, which is a body reaction to infection and can potentially affect the brain.
Taking care of mental health stress after contracting a Covid infection
According to health experts, a Covid patient needs to go easy on themselves. It is critical to realize they are not alone in this experience. Even if they feel more depressed and anxious than before, they should continue to follow their daily routine. Since having sound sleep is quite essential, patients should ensure they get enough of it. For this, they can set bedtime and wake-up hours. It will enable their circadian rhythm to tune in easily. A leisure walk in the neighbourhood or park can help them a bit more. With this, following a proper diet and staying away from stress triggers are also crucial.
Whether you are facing mental health challenges after the infection or loss of your dear one, you can implement these things in your lifestyle to navigate the existing condition. However, if these things don’t show any result or your situation feels even more miserable, you must not hesitate to seek professional help. Counsellors and psychiatrists can recommend the best solution based on your mental health. So you can consider this at any stage before it is too late. Healing can take time, but you can notice a difference in your condition slowly and steadily. Hence, it is better not to ignore this.
