<p>People infected with Covid-19 had a roughly 25 per cent increased risk of developing a psychiatric disorder in the four months following their infection, compared with those who had other types of respiratory tract infections, finds a study.</p>.<p>Researchers at Oregon State University in the US found that Covid-19 patients had a 3.8 per cent rate of developing a psychiatric disorder compared with 3.0 per cent for other respiratory tract infections.</p>.<p>The 0.8 per cent difference amounts to about a 25 per cent increased relative risk.</p>.<p>The team looked specifically at anxiety disorders and mood disorders and found a minor but significant increase in risk for anxiety disorders and no change in risk for mood disorders.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/severe-covid-19-disrupts-gut-health-study-finds-1083748.html" target="_blank">Severe Covid-19 disrupts gut health, study finds</a></strong></p>.<p>The results speak to the need for both patients and health care providers to be more proactive when it comes to addressing mental health concerns following Covid-19 infection, said Lauren Chan, doctoral student in nutrition in OSU's College of Public Health and Human Sciences.</p>.<p>"For people that have had Covid-19, if you're feeling anxiety, if you're seeing some changes in how you're going through life from a psychiatric standpoint, it's totally appropriate for you to seek some help," Chan said.</p>.<p>For the study, published in the journal World Psychiatry, researchers included data of 46,610 Covid-19 positive individuals and control patients who were diagnosed with a different respiratory tract infection so they could compare how Covid-19 specifically affected patients' mental health.</p>.<p>They looked at the rate of psychiatric diagnoses for two time periods: from 21 to 120 days after patients' Covid-19 diagnosis, and from 120 to 365 days after diagnosis, limited to patients with no previous mental illness.</p>.<p>When patients leave a doctor's office, sometimes care stops there, but Chan recommended that providers consider calling in two weeks for a check-in.</p>.<p>"I don't want to say that every single person who gets Covid-19 is going to have this type of problem, but if you start to have concern for yourself or a family member, it's not unheard of. You should definitely seek care for yourself or others around you," Chan said.</p>
<p>People infected with Covid-19 had a roughly 25 per cent increased risk of developing a psychiatric disorder in the four months following their infection, compared with those who had other types of respiratory tract infections, finds a study.</p>.<p>Researchers at Oregon State University in the US found that Covid-19 patients had a 3.8 per cent rate of developing a psychiatric disorder compared with 3.0 per cent for other respiratory tract infections.</p>.<p>The 0.8 per cent difference amounts to about a 25 per cent increased relative risk.</p>.<p>The team looked specifically at anxiety disorders and mood disorders and found a minor but significant increase in risk for anxiety disorders and no change in risk for mood disorders.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/severe-covid-19-disrupts-gut-health-study-finds-1083748.html" target="_blank">Severe Covid-19 disrupts gut health, study finds</a></strong></p>.<p>The results speak to the need for both patients and health care providers to be more proactive when it comes to addressing mental health concerns following Covid-19 infection, said Lauren Chan, doctoral student in nutrition in OSU's College of Public Health and Human Sciences.</p>.<p>"For people that have had Covid-19, if you're feeling anxiety, if you're seeing some changes in how you're going through life from a psychiatric standpoint, it's totally appropriate for you to seek some help," Chan said.</p>.<p>For the study, published in the journal World Psychiatry, researchers included data of 46,610 Covid-19 positive individuals and control patients who were diagnosed with a different respiratory tract infection so they could compare how Covid-19 specifically affected patients' mental health.</p>.<p>They looked at the rate of psychiatric diagnoses for two time periods: from 21 to 120 days after patients' Covid-19 diagnosis, and from 120 to 365 days after diagnosis, limited to patients with no previous mental illness.</p>.<p>When patients leave a doctor's office, sometimes care stops there, but Chan recommended that providers consider calling in two weeks for a check-in.</p>.<p>"I don't want to say that every single person who gets Covid-19 is going to have this type of problem, but if you start to have concern for yourself or a family member, it's not unheard of. You should definitely seek care for yourself or others around you," Chan said.</p>