Suicidal thoughts and panic attacks: how COVID-19 affects the brain and psyche
'03.12.2020'
Source: Bird in flight
As the data on covid grows, doctors are increasingly talking about the effects of the virus on the brain and psyche. It seems that the coronavirus does not cause anything, but post-traumatic stress syndrome, anxiety and even thoughts of suicide do not seem to be the most obvious consequences, says Bird in flight.
On the sixteenth day of illness, the PCR test of Dasha Bogomolenko from Odessa showed that the virus was no longer in the body, but the symptoms did not disappear: tachycardia and panic attacks were added to the usual weakness.
“I can't concentrate on my work, which has made me very irritable. Normally, I'm not like that, ”says Dasha.
Weakness after viral diseases is a common occurrence. But some doctors believe that in the case of the coronavirus, one can even talk about the "postcoid syndrome": when and after recovery, symptoms persist or new ones appear. Despite the large amount of clinical data, scientists still cannot explain all the symptoms of covid. However, some facts are already known.
Does coronavirus affect the brain?
The fact that SARS-CoV-2 affects the brain indirectly has been said since the beginning of the pandemic. The lungs suffer the most because of the virus: it damages the alveoli in them - the bubbles that are responsible for gas exchange with the pulmonary capillaries and fill the blood with oxygen. A decrease in the level of oxygen in the blood can lead to brain hypoxia, which, at best, will cause a headache. With an average form of covid, impairments of consciousness and thinking may occur, and in the most unfavorable scenario, convulsions and coma.
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Later, doctors agreed that the virus can even enter the brain. Some patients with covid were diagnosed with viral meningitis, while others SARS-CoV-2 was found in the cerebrospinal fluid. This can happen because, due to the similarity of the virus with the cells of the nervous system, the body does not recognize it as a foreign object and does not give the command to destroy it.
Once in the nervous system, the virus can damage the cerebral cortex, and the consequences will be different. For example, British neurologists have indicated that SARS-CoV-2 is capable of causing psychosis. According to Brazilian doctors, it can cause Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. However, some scientists believe that neurological symptoms are rare, so you shouldn't worry too much about this.
Does Covid Affect Mental Health?
This is likely. But whether the psychological consequences after recovery are caused by the virus itself or is it a mental reaction to the fact of the disease itself is still unclear.
Researchers recently analyzed medical histories of nearly 70 million people, including about 100 with coronavirus. It turned out that about 20% of patients who were diagnosed with covid, within the next three months, make a psychiatric diagnosis, and about 5% of them - for the first time.
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Another study analyzed the mental effects of respiratory illness caused by SARS-CoV (China epidemic in 2003) and MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome). An analysis of 1 scientific materials on this topic showed that about a third of patients during the illness were depressed, they experienced anxiety, and about 963% suffered from insomnia.
But scientists interpret the results of these two studies with caution, assuming that the cause of mental disorders could not be a virus, but still a stressful reaction to the disease itself and treatment.
Can Post-Loop Disorders Cause Suicide?
There are not many such cases, but they were. For example, at the end of September, two patients of the Kiev City Clinical Hospital No. 4 committed suicide by throwing themselves out of a window. A month later, two more patients committed suicide in the Alexandrovskaya hospital of the capital with a difference of a couple of days. Around the same time, Kharkiv pediatrician Oleg Basilayshvili, who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 a few weeks earlier, committed suicide.
According to The Economist, Japan's suicide rate rose 15% in August. Despite these alarming reports, it is too early to talk about an increase in the number of suicides due to coronavirus disease. Such statistics usually appear with a delay of one year, so we will know the exact numbers only in 2021.
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It's too early to talk about an increase in the number of suicides due to covid: full statistics will appear only in 2021.
Sometimes experts still make disappointing predictions based on information about suicides during past epidemics. For example, in 2003, during the outbreak of acute respiratory syndrome, the number of suicides among people over 60 increased by 30%. But it is incorrect to transfer this data to the current situation.
Could thoughts of death be a symptom of covid?
Rather, it is a symptom of a depressive state or depression that can occur after an illness. But not everyone has such thoughts, but only 20% of those who have had covid.
And even if you have not suffered the disease, but feel depressed, this is normal. There are enough reasons: fear for the health of loved ones, lack of usual entertainment, prolonged self-isolation. According to psychiatrist Elena Taranenko, over the past few weeks, the number of consultations she is conducting has tripled. Among the reasons for treatment are anxiety, insomnia, mood swings. Women often complain of tearfulness, men - of suicidal thoughts. Taranenko notes that requests have become more frequent since the beginning of the second wave of coronavirus.
“If during the first quarantine people were happy about the opportunity to work at home, now, when the coronavirus has touched their loved ones, they cannot cope with stress. The weather also makes itself felt: when it's cold outside, you don't take a walk too much, ”she explains.
If apathy lasts more than two weeks, it is better to seek the advice of a specialist - a psychiatrist or psychologist.
Does covid aggravate mental illness?
We were unable to find studies of the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on the course of mental illness. However, the Russian psychiatrist Dmitry Mendelevich believes that one should not expect an outbreak of psychosis during a pandemic. Taranenko also notes that patients with schizophrenia who become infected with covid survive the infection without any particular consequences. Some even experienced a decrease in psychotic symptoms.
“It always happens: during a somatic illness, mental symptoms temporarily subside. The body throws its strength to fight the virus. When the illness passes, the symptoms of schizophrenia return, ”says the psychiatrist.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after covid?
Yes, just like after any other illness.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs in people who have experienced a life-threatening situation: car accident, robbery, terrorist attack. But it can also occur in the case of a less acute threat, for example, after a surgery or illness. The main condition is a feeling of helplessness. Given the transience and variability of covid symptoms, it may well cause stress disorder.
There is still no complete statistics on PTSD as a result of coronavirus, but the likelihood of developing a disorder after mild to moderate forms of the disease is low: according to some reports, it is observed in only 10-12% of those who have had covid. At risk, women (according to statistics, they suffer from this disorder four times more often than men), people who have already experienced a traumatic event, and patients with a psychiatric diagnosis.
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There are no complete statistics on PTSD as a result of coronavirus, but the likelihood of the disorder developing after mild to moderate forms of the disease is low.
At the same time, there is a high risk of PTSD in patients admitted to the intensive care unit. There is even a syndrome "after intensive care", or PIT syndrome, which can manifest itself in three areas: physical (muscle weakness, and in those who were connected to a ventilator - problems with the lungs), cognitive (decreased attention and memory impairment) and mental (anxiety disorders, depression).
How do I know if I have PTSD?
According to psychologist Vladimir Voloshin, PTSD has twenty symptoms, but it can be diagnosed by five main ones: increased anxiety, insomnia, mood swings, depression and withdrawal. However, it is important to remember that only a psychiatrist can diagnose PTSD. And if you or your loved ones who have been ill with covid, depression and mood swings last more than two weeks, you need to see a specialist.
As the doctor of psychological sciences Vitaliy Klimchuk notes, a person in a depressed state may feel that he is worthless and no one can help him.
“If you notice depression, you need to force yourself to go to a specialist. If one of your loved ones is in a depressed state, you need to persuade him to contact a psychologist, ”explains Klimchuk.
