Long-term risk of psychiatric disorder and psychotropic prescription after Sars-CoV-2 infection among UK general population

Bibliographic Data

ID4697969
AuthorsYunhe Wang (0000-0002-0923-1441, University of Oxford), Bomin Su (0000-0003-1814-024X, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College), Junqing Xie (0000-0002-0040-0042, Central South University, corresponding author), Clemente Garcia-Rizo, Clemente García‐Rizo (0000-0002-4855-1608, Instituto de Salud Carlos III), Daniel Prieto-Alhambra, Daniel Prieto‐Alhambra (0000-0002-3950-6346, Erasmus MC)
Year2024
Volume8
Issue6
Pages1076-1087
Publication date2024-03-21
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueNature Human Behaviour (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2397-3374 • E-ISSN: 2397-3374
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1038/s41562-024-01853-4
PMID38514769
OpenAlexW4393043598
LanguageEN
References cited34

Despite evidence indicating increased risk of psychiatric issues among COVID-19 survivors, questions persist about long-term mental health outcomes and the protective effect of vaccination. Using UK Biobank data, three cohorts were constructed: SARS-CoV-2 infection (n = 26,101), contemporary control with no evidence of infection (n = 380,337) and historical control predating the pandemic (n = 390,621). Compared with contemporary controls, infected participants had higher subsequent risks of incident mental health at 1 year (hazard ratio (HR): 1.54, 95% CI 1.42-1.67; P = 1.70 × 10−24; difference in incidence rate: 27.36, 95% CI 21.16-34.10 per 1,000 person-years), including psychotic, mood, anxiety, alcohol use and sleep disorders, and prescriptions for antipsychotics, antidepressants, benzodiazepines, mood stabilizers and opioids. Risks were higher for hospitalized individuals (2.17, 1.70-2.78; P = 5.80 × 10−10) than those not hospitalized (1.41, 1.30-1.53; P = 1.46 × 10−16), and were reduced in fully vaccinated people (0.97, 0.80-1.19; P = 0.799) compared with non-vaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals (1.64, 1.49-1.79; P = 4.95 × 10−26). Breakthrough infections showed similar risk of psychiatric diagnosis (0.91, 0.78-1.07; P = 0.278) but increased prescription risk (1.42, 1.00-2.02; P = 0.053) compared with uninfected controls. Early identification and treatment of psychiatric disorders in COVID-19 survivors, especially those severely affected or unvaccinated, should be a priority in the management of long COVID. With the accumulation of breakthrough infections in the post-pandemic era, the findings highlight the need for continued optimization of strategies to foster resilience and prevent escalation of subclinical mental health symptoms to severe disorders

Anxiety · Hazard ratio · Medical prescription · Mental health · Mood · Mood disorders · Population · Psychiatry · COVID-19 and Mental Health · COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies · Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 · Medicine · Internal Medicine

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