“Some long Covid symptoms overlap with symptoms of psychological distress, making it difficult to pinpoint their cause.”
A Harvard team separated the overlapping symptoms, such as fatigue, brain fog and memory issues, to look at just symptoms such as a persistent cough, shortness of breath or trouble smelling or tasting, which are not usually linked to psychological conditions.
The results were “almost identical,” Siwen Wang, one of the study’s authors, said.
Wang and her team suspect that a few factors could link stress and long Covid: First, stress can activate molecules that signal the body to produce inflammation. Stress can also lead to a suppressed immune response, making it harder for the body to fight off viruses. She said people with depression might even develop antibodies that mistakenly target their own cells.
“Having a mental health issue is always going to be more likely to predispose you to health problems later on, whether it’s Covid, long Covid [or] a different post-viral illness,” Becker said.
(Aria Bendix. “Stress, anxiety and depression may increase the risk of long Covid, study finds.” NBC News. September 07, 2022.)
Of U.S. adults overall, around 19% of those who've contracted Covid have long Covid symptoms, according to a June study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For some, the symptoms are debilitating. In the new study, 800 people surveyed said their long Covid was preventing them from engaging in routine daily activities.
(“Long COVID.” Household Pulse Survey National Center for Health Statistics. CDC. June 2022)
I contracted Covid in July 2022, and the result was devastating. With a history of major depression disorder, I tested positive and struggled with the disease for many weeks. It knocked me for a loop as I began experiencing respiratory problems, high temperatures, weight loss, and tremendous fatigue. I suspect I suffer from long Covid, and I struggled with these and other symptoms for a long time.
New research shows that people who were experiencing psychological distress before getting Covid were more likely to have long-lasting symptoms than those who were not, according to new research. In other words, those who felt stressed, anxious, lonely, depressed or worried about Covid before getting infected were at higher risk of developing long-term symptoms from their illness, a new study found.
For the research, a team at Harvard looked at survey responses from nearly 55,000 people in the United States and Canada from April 2020 to November 2021.
(Siwen Wang, MD; Luwei Quan, BA; Jorge E. Chavarro, ScD; et al. “Associations of Depression, Anxiety, Worry, Perceived Stress, and Loneliness Prior to Infection With Risk of Post–COVID-19 Conditions.” JAMA Psychiatry. September 07, 2022.)
Of that group, more than 3,000 participants said they'd had Covid, and around 1,400 said they had long Covid, defined as Covid-related symptoms lasting four weeks or longer.
The results showed that people who reported psychological distress before they got infected had a 32% to 46% increased risk of long Covid, compared to people who did not report such distress. And those who reported high levels of two or more types of psychological distress, such as both depression and anxiety, had a 50% increased risk.
What's more, the study found a stronger association between long Covid and psychological distress than long Covid and some of its known physical risk factors, such as obesity, asthma and hypertension.
“The factors that we identified are more strongly associated with risk of long Covid than pretty much anything else anyone’s found," said Andrea Roberts, an author of the study and a senior research scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The findings indicate that mental health can have an effect on physical Covid symptoms, the researchers said. But they emphasized that the long Covid symptoms among the patients studied were very real and arose as a result of their infection.
“The results shouldn’t be misinterpreted as supporting post-Covid conditions as psychosomatic,” said Jacqueline Becker, a clinical neuropsychologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who wasn’t involved in the research.
“We’re seeing people who are just having trouble leaving the house or performing other, more regular activities like remembering to turn off the stove when they’re cooking. Multitasking has become a little bit more effortful. Some people aren’t able to function at all,” Becker said.
(Aria Bendix. “Stress, anxiety and depression may increase the risk of long Covid, study finds.” NBC News. September 07, 2022.)
I, personally, found long Covid greatly ramping up my depression and interfering with my mental health during the infection. At age 71, I feel particularly vulnerable to the impacts of long Covid. I urge all people with pre-existing mental illness to seek the best standard of care if they contract the illness.
Claire Steves, a professor in ageing and health at King’s College London, said the Harvard study emphasised the need to build support for vulnerable people and to improve mental resilience in the population at large. “It’s important to state that this association does not mean that prior mental health issues cause long Covid, rather that mental health issues increase the vulnerability of individuals, due to decreased reserve so that physiological changes manifest in daily life.”
The Bottom Line
Make no mistake. No matter the slight symptoms shown by many who test positive these days, Covid can be debilitating. I strongly believe your immune system and preexisting health problems greatly affect the impact of the virus. I know I had recently quit wearing a mask to the grocery store and to other public places weeks before I fell victim. I surely learned this was unwise. Now, I will take the needed precautions once again.
Know the common signs for Covid.
Common signs and symptoms associated with long COVID
Fatigue
Mood changes
Loss or change in taste and smell
Cough
Chest pain
Difficulty breathing
Sleep problems
Anxiety
Depression
Memory problems (“brain fog”)
If you feel bad or experience these symptoms, get tested. My advice is to respect the damage Covid can inflict. Be proactive and responsive to signs. Above all, take care of yourself and be especially mindful of others whom you may expose to the virus. Remember – many are vulnerable to severe consequences once they contract Covid. I know I would not want anyone to suffer with the strain I had. I was a physical and emotional wreck for a very long time.
I was not eligible to take the new antiviral pills; however, my wife Cindy had Covid too and did very well with this treatment. Seek advice from health officials. Here is an an address for information about the pills and what you need to know about them: https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20211229/the-new-covid-antiviral-pills-what-you-need-to-know#1.
We all are tired of Covid restrictions and putting up with new strains of the virus. It tests our patience and our way of life. However, on the positive side, maybe this journey will help us all develop some healthier habits and more sympathy for those in harm's way. I know one thing from my Covid experience: I am so much more conscious of my environment and the fragile connection to the outside world.
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