Psychiatric symptoms in COVID-19-positive individuals in the general population:Trajectories of depression, anxiety, and insomnia, 2022, Johnson et al

Highlights

• Those tested positive for COVID-19 experience higher levels of depression after restrictions are lifted.
• Psychiatric symptoms of SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals decreased over time.
• Age and amount of physical activity did not predict the trajectories of anxiety and depression.
• There were no significant differences in trajectory when compared to matched controls.

Abstract

The present study investigates differences in the trajectories of anxiety, depression, and sleep problems among infected versus non-infected case-controlled individuals. Patients who tested positive for COVID-19 were selected from a representative sample in Norway (N > 10,000). In total, 126 of these individuals were infected during the project period, and this group was analyzed at T5 (May 2021). Of these positive cases, those who had completed both PHQ-9 and GAD-7 at all three measurement points were selected for longitudinal analysis using multilevel modeling. There was a significant difference at T5 between those who had tested positive for COVID-19 and matched controls. Anxiety and depression were reduced among those who tested positive, but there were no differences in trajectory when compared to matched controls. Limitations include the use of self-report measures and the assessment of symptoms at a time when strict virus mitigation protocols were in place. The present findings indicate that individuals who test positive for COVID-19 exhibit higher levels of depressive symptoms after restrictions are lifted. However, comparison of anxiety and depression symptom trajectories with matched controls reveals that both groups exhibited stable or slightly decreased symptoms.

Open access, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165178122003997

 

I'm glad they were honest and published a negative result, instead of not publishing it.

 

I don't accept that insomnia is a psychiatric symptom. Sleep is a physical need and going without it can lead to long term or even permanent harm.

 

Confusion arises because insomnia is linked to both physical and psychiatric conditions. However even if insomnia is a symptom of a psychiatric condition, does this necessitate it, even in that context, being a psychiatric symptom? This is also further confused by psychiatric being used also by some medics as relating to the mind regardless of whether or not it is psychogenic.

However in the context of such as Long Covid prejudging insomnia as a psychiatric symptom feels very like imposing beliefs on the evidence rather than using the evidence to reach disinterested conclusions.