20 percent of Covid-19 recoveries later develop mental illness, study shows

A study by the University of Oxford shows that 20 percent of patients diagnosed with the coronavirus develop some form of psychiatric disorder within 90 days.

The study also found that people with a pre-existing mental illness were 65 percent more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 than those without [File: Oli Scarff/AFP]

Researchers, led by Oxford Professor of Psychiatry Paul Harrison, discovered that anxiety, depression, and insomnia were the most common side effects among Covid-19 recoveries.

Data, curated from analyzing patients in the United States, shows that in the three months of testing positive for Covid-19, one in five of the survivors received a first-time diagnosis of anxiety, depression, or insomnia.

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“The virus might be directly affecting the brain in some ways, maybe through the immune system, which leads to the mental health problem,” Professor Paul Harrison said, adding, "But more importantly, the experience of having had COVID-19 and understanding all the things that might have happened to you with all the fears and concerns that the virus led people to have, may also be a reason."

Researchers also found that people with pre-existing mental-illness were 65 percent more likely to contract the virus.

By: Niza Nondo