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One in three Covid patients on ventilators has widespread symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, research shows, adding to growing evidence of the virus’s impact on mental health.
The study of 13,049 patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus, conducted by Imperial College London and the University of Southampton, found that one in five admitted to hospital but not requiring a ventilator also had extensive symptoms of PTSD.
Intrusive images, sometimes called flashbacks, were the most common symptom of PTSD in patients with Covid-19. Examples of these could be pictures of the intensive care unit (ICU) environment, ICU doctors wearing full personal protective equipment, or other patients in the ICU.
The study, published Tuesday in the BJPsych Open of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, found lower levels of widespread symptoms of PTSD in patients receiving medical help at home (about one in six) and patients who did not need treatment. ‘no home help but had breathing problems. (one in 10).
Dr Adam Hampshire, Imperial College London, said: ‘We can see that the pandemic is likely to have an acute and lasting impact, including for a significant proportion of patients left at home with respiratory problems and having received no medical help. This evidence could be important in informing future therapy and reducing the long-term health burden of this disease.
Symptoms of PTSD can appear immediately or after a certain time, but usually within six months of the traumatic event and can persist for years without treatment.
The data used in the study, which was controlled for a range of variables including age, sex, ethnicity, income and medical history, was collected in May of last year via an online survey as part of a larger citizen science study.
The latest official figures show more than 3,000 people are currently on ventilators in the UK and more than 400,000 patients have been admitted to hospital since the start of the pandemic.
Of the 13,049 people who took part in the study, 9,200 said they had no breathing problems, 3,466 reported breathing problems but did not require medical intervention, 176 said they had breathing problems and received home help, 147 reported being hospitalized but not needing a ventilator and 60 reported hospitalization, including ventilation.
Dr Adrian James, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: ‘Effective and integrated follow-up care needs to be provided after discharge, and mental health services need to be extensive enough to treat a growing number of people with symptoms. of PTSD. ”
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