.
. FOR
. FOR THE
. FOR THE PAST YEAR WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE MENTAL HEALTH
EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC.
NOW THE LARGEST STUDY TO DATE
ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE HAS JUST
BEEN PUBLISHED AND WE ASKED OUR
NINE HEALTH EXPERT DR. PIKOLI
FOR HER TAKE ON IT.
GOOD MORNING, DR. HI.
GOOD MORNING, COREY.
SUCH AN IMPORTANT TOPIC WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT TODAY.
IT REALLY IS.
SO WHAT ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS
OF THE STUDY?
SO THIS IS A LARGER STUDY AS
YOU JUST SAID TO DATE AND
ESSENTIALLY WHAT THEY DID IS
THEY TOOK GREATER THAN TWO
HUNDRED AND THIRTY THOUSAND
HOSPITAL CHARTS AND MEDICAL
CHARTS IN GENERAL COMBED
THROUGH THEM AND WHAT THEY
FOUND IS THAT ONE OUT OF THREE
PEOPLE WHO HAD COVID INFECTION
HAD A NEUROLOGICAL OR A
PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSIS THAT WAS
NEW WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF THEIR
INFECTION AND THE MOST COMMON
OF THIS NOT SURPRISINGLY WAS
ANXIETY.
BUT THERE WAS ALSO A MOOD
DISORDER, A SUBSTANCE ABUSE
DISORDERS, INSOMNIA AND SUCH.
AND INTERESTINGLY FOR 13
PERCENT OF THE PEOPLE THIS WAS
THE FIRST TIME THAT THEY WERE
HAVING A NEUROLOGICAL OR
PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSIS.
SO THAT'S MORE THAN ONE IN
THREE AMERICANS THAT ARE BEING
DIAGNOSED WITH THE MENTAL
HEALTH CONDITION FOR THE FIRST
TIME AS A RESULT OF THEIR COVID
INFECTION.
SO MANY PEOPLE WHO THIS
DEFINITELY APPLIES TO WHO
APPEAR TO BE THE GREATEST RISK
.
YEAH, THIS WAS INTERESTING.
SO YOU KNOW, NOT UNEXPECTEDLY
THOSE THAT GOT THE SICKEST WITH
COVID APPEARED TO HAVE
THE GREATEST RISK OF HAVING
SOME SORT OF A COMPLICATION.
SO REALLY THOSE THAT ENDED UP
IN THE HOSPITAL, THOSE THAT
WERE THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT
AND WHAT WAS INTERESTING WAS
THAT IT SKEWED MORE TOWARDS
NEUROLOGICAL STUFF FOR THOSE
THAT ENDED UP IN THE HOSPITAL.
SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
CONDITIONS LIKE STROKE, BRAIN
HEMORRHAGE, DEMENTIA, THOSE
TYPES OF PROBLEMS AND THOSE
THAT WERE IN THE HOSPITAL AS
OPPOSED TO MORE OF THE
PSYCHIATRIC PROBLEMS FOR THOSE
THAT WERE OUTPATIENTS.
AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SMALL
NUMBERS OR ACTUAL NEUROLOGICAL
CONDITIONS.
BUT WHEN YOU START TO APPLY TO
MILLIONS OF AMERICANS THAT HAVE
GOTTEN SICK FROM COVERED , IT
REALLY DOES MAKE QUITE A
SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON OUR
POPULATION.
HOW DO THESE MENTAL HEALTH
EFFECTS OF COVID COMPARE TO
THOSE WITH LIKE THE FLU OR
OTHER ILLNESSES?
THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
SO WHAT THE AUTHORS OF THE
STUDY DID IS THEY SAID WELL, IS
THIS JUST A FUNCTION OF BEING
SICK IN GENERAL HAS NOTHING TO
DO WITH COVID SPECIFICALLY.
SO IF YOU'RE SICK WITH THE FLU
OR SICK WITH A COLD, ARE YOU
GOING TO HAVE SIMILAR TYPES
OF CONDITIONS?
AND SO THEY LOOKED AT
THE INCIDENCE IN THOSE
POPULATIONS THAT IT WAS MUCH
HIGHER.
SO 44 PERCENT HIGHER COMPARED
WITH THE FLU AND 16 PERCENT
HIGHER COMPARED WITH OTHER
RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES.
SO SOMETHING SPECIFIC ABOUT
COVID APPEARS TO BE ASSOCIATED
WITH A HIGHER RISK
THE PSYCHIATRIC OR NEUROLOGICAL
CONDITIONS SPECIFICALLY
THE ONES THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED.
DR KELLY, WHAT'S YOUR TAKEAWAY
?
YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO SAY COREY,
MY BIGGEST FEAR IS WHAT WE'RE
LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS
THAT WE'VE DONE A REALLY NICE
JOB OF FLATTENING THE CURVE
OVER THE LAST YEAR AS WE ALL
GET VACCINATED WE REALLY
DECREASE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
DYING AND THE NUMBER OF DEATHS
HAVE GONE DOWN SUBSTANTIALLY IN
OUR COUNTRY.
BUT WE'RE NOW LOOKING AT
THE MENTAL HEALTH CURVE WHICH
I THINK IS GOING TO PLAY ITSELF
OUT OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS
AND OUR JOB NOW IS TO FLATTEN
THIS MENTAL HEALTH CURVE.
THIS STUDY HAS GIVEN US A
LITTLE BIT OF INSIGHT INTO JUST
HOW STEEP THAT MOUNTAIN AHEAD
OF US IS GOING TO BE AND HOW
MUCH WORK WE HAVE TO DO TO
FLATTEN IT.
SO I WOULD SAY A COUPLE OF KEY
THINGS.
THE FIRST IS GET THE VACCINE.
SO IF YOU HAVEN'T HAD COLVERT
GET THE VACCINE BECAUSE
THE LAST THING YOU WANT TO DO
IS TO ADD A MENTAL HEALTH
DISORDER OR NEUROLOGICAL
DISORDER ONTO YOUR PLATE.
AND THE SECOND IS IF YOU HAD
COVID OR YOU HAVE A FAMILY
MEMBER WHO HAS MAKE SURE YOU
REACH OUT TO THOSE COVID
SURVIVORS AND CHECK CHECKING ON
THEM BECAUSE WE ONLY CAUGHT A
SMALL PIECE OF THE PIE WITH
THIS STUDY.
WE ONLY GOT THE PATIENTS