![]() ![]() While some research indicates that people with a history of anxiety are at higher risk for developing long Covid, psychologists are learning that previous mental health issues cannot explain the myriad symptoms long Covid patients endure. ![]() Untangling the risk factors for developing long Covid and its mental health symptoms is a challenge for researchers and practitioners alike. However, both psychologists and neuroscientists have detected measurable changes in the brains of people who had less-severe cases, and many long Covid sufferers who had mild illness report ongoing cognitive dysfunction and psychological distress. Research by Vannorsdall and other psychologists shows that patients who endured severe illness requiring a stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) display significant cognitive and neuropsychological deficits, which tracks with long-established research on the impact of ICU treatment on the brain. “Data from our racially and ethnically diverse group of patients, who are assessed approximately four months after acute illness, suggest that more than two thirds are continuing to experience cognitive dysfunction,” said Tracy Vannorsdall, PhD, ABPP-CN, a clinical neuropsychologist who studies and treats patients in the Johns Hopkins Post-Acute Covid-19 Team (JH PACT) clinic in Baltimore, Maryland. The perils of long Covid include fatigue, lowered endurance, reduced cognitive efficiency, and mental health effects, such as anxiety and depression. Psychologists are breaking new research ground to understand the causes, effects, and possible treatments for so-called “long Covid,” particularly related to its impact on cognition and mental health. A substantial number of people who survived the acute phase of Covid-19 have never made a full recovery.
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