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The coronavirus vaccine offers an obvious and important health benefit: it protects you against serious illness or death if you come into contact with the virus.
That in itself is amazing. But new research released Wednesday points to another striking benefit of rolling up their sleeves that shouldn’t be discounted: People who get vaccinated can see significant improvements in their mental health.
In the study, published in the journal PLoS One, researchers followed people who received a first dose of any coronavirus vaccine between December 2020 and March 2021.
They found that those who had received an injection were less likely to show signs of mild or severe depression than those who had not been vaccinated, including those who intended to be vaccinated but had not yet could do it.
And given that mental health is just as important as physical health, this is yet another reason for everyone who is eligible to get the vaccine.
How the pandemic has damaged people’s mental health
National surveys conducted at various times during the last 18 months of the pandemic have highlighted a worrying increase in mental health problems, often coinciding with increases in cases.
In the summer of 2020, for example, about 4 in 10 American adults reported struggling with mental health or addiction issues. This represents about 1 in 10 adults before the pandemic.
And experts have warned since the start of the pandemic that it is adding to the chronic stress of millions of Americans who were already disadvantaged before COVID, calling it a “national crisis.”
“As was the case before the pandemic, adults in poor general health (which may reflect both their physical and mental health) continue to report higher rates of anxiety and / or depression than adults in good general health, ”reports a February report from the Kaiser Family Foundation. warned.
Why vaccination might help
Of course, there are many reasons mental health issues have increased during the pandemic, from widespread job losses to loneliness.
And the new study can’t say exactly why people who roll up their sleeves seem to feel a boost in mental health, but its authors say it’s likely a combination of factors.
People who have been vaccinated may be less worried about being infected. They could be more socially active or try new work opportunities, the researchers write. Previous studies show isolation was a major factor in people’s mental health during the pandemic, which is one reason medical groups have gone to great lengths to get children back to classrooms. this fall, for example.
The new findings by no means suggest that vaccination is a panacea, or that getting more people to roll up their sleeves will provide millions of Americans with the mental health support they need. The study’s authors write that their results should simply be understood as “direct, short-term effects of getting a first dose of vaccine.”
Nonetheless, they note that the overall effect of vaccination on mental health might actually be larger than what the study was able to capture, as it might spread to unvaccinated people as well. People who are not themselves vaccinated might still be less afraid and worried about the illness or death of their loved ones and might benefit from the social and economic opportunities offered by generalized vaccination, the authors write.
This shows once again that vaccination is not just about your own health; it’s about improving health outcomes for all of us.
Experts are still learning about COVID-19. The information in this story is what was known or available at the time of publication, but directions may change as scientists find out more about the virus. Please consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the most recent recommendations.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
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