HealthDay Reports: Depression, Anxiety, PTSD May Plague Many COVID-19 Survivors
Psychological problems such as anxiety, depression and PTSD may affect many patients who recover from being critically ill with COVID-19, an expert says.
Depression, Anxiety, PTSD May Plague Many COVID-19 Survivors
THURSDAY, May 7, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The ordeal faced by critically ill COVID-19 patients likely won't end even if they pull through and survive their life-threatening infection, experts fear.
Some of these survivors will be emotionally scarred by their time spent in an intensive care unit (ICU), and they are at increased risk of psychological problems, such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
"Unfortunately, I do think this is one of the expected unintended consequences of a pandemic," said Dr. David Shulkin, a former secretary of Veterans Affairs and former president and CEO of Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City.
"In almost every other pandemic that's been studied, there have been associated behavioral health issues that have been not only short-term but long-term in standing, and this one is no different," Shulkin said during a HealthDay Live Stream interview.