COVID-19 vaccination mitigates adverse effects of SARS-CoV-2 on mental illness.
Research published in JAMA Psychiatry found that the COVID-19 vaccination may help protect against the adverse mental health impacts of the virus by preventing severe infection.
“COVID-19 has been shown to be associated with subsequent mental illness in both hospital- and population-based studies. However, evidence regarding which mental illnesses are associated with COVID-19 by vaccination status has been limited. These days, most people have had COVID-19 and the majority have been vaccinated. It is therefore important that we understand the mental health consequences of COVID-19 by vaccination status,” Dr Venexia Walker, lead author of the study and a Senior Research Fellow in Epidemiology at Bristol Medical School: Population Health Sciences (PHS) and MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol told Theravive.
The researchers from University of Bristol Medical School, University of Oxford, University College London, University of Cambridge and Swansea University Medical School collaborated to investigate this further.
They analyzed the medical records of 18 648 006 adults between the ages of 18 and 110 years who were registered with a GP (general practitioner) in England.
Of those, before the vaccination was available, 1 012 335 had a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis.
The researchers also analysed data of a cohort of 14 035 268 adults who were vaccinated. Of these, 866 469 had a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19.
An unvaccinated cohort of 3 242 215 adults was also studied. Of these, 149 745 had a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19.
Examining this data, the researches then compared the incidence of mental illness in people before and after their diagnosis with COVID-19.
The mental illnesses they included in the study were eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, serious mental illness, general anxiety, addiction, suicide and self-harm.
“We found that the incidence of most of the mental illnesses we studied, which included depression and serious mental illness, was higher one to four weeks after COVID-19 diagnosis, compared to the incidence before or without COVID-19. This elevation in the incidence of mental illnesses was mainly seen after severe COVID-19 that led to hospitalisation and remained higher for up to a year following severe COVID-19 in unvaccinated people. Vaccination mitigates the adverse effects of COVID-19 on mental health,” Walker said.
In COVID-19 cases that did not lead to hospitalization, there was little elevation in incidence.
The incidence of depression was up to 16.3 times higher after hospitalization due to COVID-19 than before diagnosis or without diagnosis of COVID-19.
The incidence of depression after non-hospitalized COVID-19 was 1.22 times higher than before or without COVID-19.
Among those who were vaccinated, the incidence of depression after a non-hospitalized COVID-19 illness was similar to the incidence before or without COVID-19.
COVID-19 has already been association with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and now with mental illness. In other projects, the researchers hope to explore the impact of COVID-19 in other areas like renal, autoimmune and neurodegenerative conditions.
Walker says the current research is an important reminder of the many benefits of the COVID-19 vaccination.
“The main benefit of COVID-19 vaccination is that it provides substantial protection against severe COVID-19. Vaccination likely mitigates the adverse effects of COVID-19 on mental health through preventing severe COVID-19 that leads to hospitalization. It is important to consider both the potential physical and mental health benefits of vaccination against COVID-19 as they each have important implications for public health and healthcare provision,” Walker said.
“Our study adds to a growing body of evidence highlighting the increased risk of mental illnesses following COVID-19 diagnosis, with stronger associations found in relation to non-vaccination and more severe COVID-19 disease. Our findings underscore the importance of COVID-19 vaccination, particularly in groups at highest risk of severe COVID-19.”