20% of recovering COVID-19 patients develop mental illness within 90 days.

The study asserted that 20% of COVID-19 survivors were diagnosed with a mental illness within 90 days, but further studies were required.

The study asserted that 20% of COVID-19 survivors were diagnosed with a mental illness within 90 days, but further studies were required. A new study conducted by psychiatrists from Oxford University has found that several patients who recovered from COVID-19 were at risk of being diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder within three months that is 90 days of the infection.The study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal, analyzed electronic health records of 69 million people in the United States, including more than 62,000 cases of COVID-19 between January and August, 2020.

The researchers maintained a window of 14-90 days to check for incidences of mental illness disorders and whether patients with COVID-19 were more likely to develop mental illnesses in comparison to patients with other illnesses.

The experimentation highlighted that about 20 percent (one in five) COVID-19 survivors were diagnosed with depression, anxiety disorders; and a significantly a higher risk of dementia, that is a brain impairment condition was also found. These findings prompted the researchers to introduce the mental health disorders in the list of COVID-19 risk factors.

Furthermore, the study also found that people with a pre-existing mental illness were 65% more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19, than those without.

The study found that the contraction of COVID-19 infection is assumed to have adverse effects on an individual's mental health that can cause anxiety and depression along with other associated physical health risks. However, the magnitude of the mental health risk has not yet been accurately measured.

Besides, the study pointed out that longer-term follow-up studies were needed to support and extend the findings of the research. The research also requires an enhanced psychiatric follow-up for patients who survive COVID-19, and psychiatric history should be queried during the assessment of a patient.