There is increasing evidence that the long term impact of Covid-19 on our mental health could lead to a crisis that lasts far longer than the initial waves of infection. As a community concerned with mental health and wellbeing, we should already be thinking about the role that yoga and yoga therapy can play in a holistic approach to tackling this impending situation.
Research published in The Lancet Psychiatry in November 2020 analyzed data from the electronic health records of 69.8 million people in the U.S. — including more than 62,000 diagnosed with COVID-19 — and found that nearly 20 percent of coronavirus patients developed a mental health issue such as anxiety or depression within three months of their diagnosis. And compared to those patients studied who struggled with other health issues (i.e. influenza, gallstones), those who contracted COVID-19 were twice as likely to be diagnosed with a mental health disorder.
Some of these statistics are astonishing and truly concerning, and highlight the need for us as a society for us to begin making plans for a holistic approach to tackling a potential crisis.
For example, Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health condition that can occur in people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). “Having COVID-19 qualifies [as all of these],” according to Brown. Coronavirus survivors are thought to be at a high risk of developing PTSD, according to an article published in the journal, Global Health Research and Policy.
Research on PTSD and coronavirus is ongoing, but one study of more than 700 COVID-19 survivors in Wuhan, China, found that more than 96 percent of those patients had “significant” symptoms of PTSD. Their situation may have been slightly different than those many Americans experience — in Wuhan, for example, people with the virus were separated from their families and sent to quarantine centers — but plenty of Americans may still struggle with PTSD tied to COVID-19, explains Brown
Depression and Anxiety
Going through a serious illness and the stress that comes with it, can spark depression and anxiety, explains Brown. Studies have repeatedly linked anxiety and depression to having COVID-19. Case in point? A recent survey of more than 759 Ecuadorian men and women between ages 27 and 49 found that those who eventually had confirmed COVID infections were more likely to develop mild, moderate, and severe symptoms of both anxiety and depression than those who tested negative. In another study, 402 COVID-19 survivors with a mean age of 58 filled out questionnaires about their mental health one month following hospital treatment: Thirty-one percent reported symptoms of depression, 42 percent of anxiety, 28 percent of PTSD, 40 percent of insomnia, and 20 percent of obsessive-compulsive [tendencies]. (Some patients self-reported experiencing more than one psychological difficulty.)
The same study of previously hospitalized COVID-19 survivors found that 40 percent reported struggling with insomnia a month after returning home.
We are all aware within the yoga therapy community of just how effective yoga, yoga therapy and meditation are addressing issues, such as PTSD, anxiety, depression and insomnia – and we will all have our part to play in the months and years ahead.
Here at the Minded institute we are running Free therapeutic sessions online for anyone suffering from the effects of Long Covid
