3 ARTICLES ON THE LONG TERM PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF COVID-19
Though Covid-19 has been at one extreme life threatening and for some more fortunate, a mild infection, there are a number of reported post viral Psychological effects. The three articles examine different aspects of the Psychological effects.
ARTICLE #1
TITLE
COVID-19 May Be Linked to Spontaneous Psychosis
DESCRIPTION
There are a number of cases of psychosis, though rare, that have been found in people who have experienced Covid-19 (coronavirus). The symptoms included disorganized thought, delusions, hallucinations, and other signs along the schizophrenic spectrum “There’s growing evidence that COVID-19 and new psychotic episodes are connected. The North Carolina case, reported in the British Medical Journal (active link) in August 2020, joins a slew of case reports published in medical journals during the pandemic that detail psychotic episodes following a COVID-19 diagnosis. In the July 2020 issue of BJPsyh Open, researchers reported that a 55-year old woman in the U.K., with no history of mental illness, arrived at a hospital days after recovering from a severe case of COVID-19 with delusions and hallucinations, convinced that the nurses were devils in disguise and that monkeys were jumping out of the doctors’ medical bags.” The article discusses a number of journal articles that have appeared that discuss cases of spontaneous psychosis after the covid infection. The article further presents a number of important hypotheses regarding how the virus might cause the psychosis but none are definitive at this time. Further, the article points out that the available evidence is “muddy” in that it is more association than cause and effect. The available data is more in the line of collected anecdotal evidence derived from case studies. It is worth reading to see how the researchers have begun to isolate the causes of the psychotic episodes as related to the Covid-19.
SOURCE
TIME, March 4, 2022, by Jeffrey Kluger
LINK TO RESOURCE
https://time.com/6153809/covid-19-psychosis-symptoms/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email-share-article&utm-term=health_covid-19
(Tiny URL) https://tinyurl.com/2p9dfb7f
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ARTICLE #2
TITLE
Covid May Cause Changes in the Brain, New Study Finds
DESCRIPTION
In another series of studies, researchers found changes in brain matter and related cognitive decline after individuals had experienced Covid-19 (coronavirus) infections. “Covid-19 may cause greater loss of gray matter and tissue damage in the brain than naturally occurs in people who have not been infected with the virus, a large new study found. (active link) The study, published Monday in the journal Nature, is believed to be the first involving people who underwent brain scans both before they contracted Covid and months after.” Further “The study, involving people aged 51 to 81, found shrinkage and tissue damage primarily in brain areas related to sense of smell; some of those areas are also involved in other brain functions, the researchers said.” This study like the others in this update speculate and hypothesize about how the Covid-19 virus affects the brain and causes the psychological related problems. Those interested in the brain and nervous system will find this very fascinating. Those who are not interested in the anatomy and physiological aspects would find the psychological factors (sensation/perception/cognition) engaging and more compelling.
SOURCE
New York Times, March 7, 2022, by Pa Bullock
LINK TO RESOURCE
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/07/health/covid-brain-changes.html?smid=em-share
(Tiny URL) https://tinyurl.com/3eatde5f
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ARTICLE #3
TITLE
How does COVID-19 cause people to lose sense of smell? And how many regain it?
DESCRIPTION
One of the defining symptoms of Covid-19 has been the loss of the sensation of smell or anosmia. The loss has been found to be either acute (lasting a few weeks) to chronic (very long lasting or permanent). “Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, perhaps no symptom has been in the spotlight more than loss of smell. Estimates vary, but it’s believed that as many as 96% of COVID-19 patients experience some or total loss — but it’s usually temporary. Most regain the sensation within weeks. Studies have suggested that anosmia, the medical term of the condition, is a better predictor of whether someone has the virus than other symptoms such as cough or fever. Researchers still don’t fully understand how the virus causes loss of smell, but there are a few theories.” The article and brief video hypothesize the causes of the anosmia though the research has not been able to definitively pinpoint the exact reasons. Further this article discusses the types of therapies that have evolved to help those who have lost the sense of smell — fascinating!!!
SOURCE
ABC News, January 23, 2022, by Mary Kekatos
LINK TO RESOURCE
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/covid-19-people-lose-sense-smell-regain/story?id=82353411
(Tiny URL) https://tinyurl.com/y4dhzfws
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CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
•What are some of the symptoms in post Covid-19 individuals that psychologists would find of interest? Please enumerate the problems.
•Many covid-19 patients lose their sense of smell. What is this called? What do the researchers believe causes the loss? Describe the type of therapy involved in retraining the sense.
•Research into the aftermath of Covid-19 has found that a small number of people experience a temporary psychotic break. What are the symptoms of “psychosis” as studied by Psychology? What has been hypothesized as the cause?
