The key COVID-19 findings in psychiatry, distilled into a clear, readable brief. The evidence is here whenever you want to go deeper.
INSIDE THIS MONITOR
29cited sources
28available findings
Study findings updated
AI-assisted evidence summary. For general information. These findings are not individual medical advice or a clinician endorsement.
THE SHORT VERSION
What’s worth knowing.
The key findings, what they mean, and the context that matters.
THE HEADLINE TAKEAWAY86%higher relative risk
Long COVID was linked to depressive and anxiety symptoms at 3 years
At 3 years after infection, adults with Long COVID had an 86% higher relative risk of depressive symptoms and a 60% higher relative risk of anxiety symptoms than adults without Long COVID.
This population-based prospective study reports associations at three-year follow-up; it cannot by itself establish causation.
See the evidence
86% higher relative risk, calculated from aRR 1.86. This is not an absolute percentage-point difference.
Risk of depressive symptoms 3 years after COVID-19 in adults with Long COVID vs without
aRR 1.86 95% CI: 1.34-2.57
Ryu, Soomin et al.. Prospective associations between Long COVID and mental health: evidence from a population-based study with a nearly three-year follow-up.. BMC public health. 2026.
Anxiety symptoms at 3 years post-infection in Long COVID vs. no Long COVID
aRR 1.60 95% CI: 1.18-2.16
Ryu, Soomin et al.. Prospective associations between Long COVID and mental health: evidence from a population-based study with a nearly three-year follow-up.. BMC public health. 2026.
Brain fog was estimated in 30% of Long COVID populations
30%
A systematic review estimated brain fog prevalence at 30% and cognitive impairment prevalence at 25% in Long COVID populations.
These are systematic-review prevalence estimates in Long COVID populations. The definitions used for brain fog and cognitive impairment are not available in this summary.
See the evidence
Brain fog prevalence in long COVID populations
30% 95% CI: 28-32
Faseeh, Ahmar et al.. Prevalence and long-term outcomes of brain fog and cognitive impairment in individuals with long COVID: A systematic review.. Medicine. 2026.
Cognitive impairment prevalence in long COVID populations
25% 95% CI: 23-27
Faseeh, Ahmar et al.. Prevalence and long-term outcomes of brain fog and cognitive impairment in individuals with long COVID: A systematic review.. Medicine. 2026.
COVID-19 survivors: 33.6% had a psychiatric diagnosis within 6 months
33.6%
In an electronic health record cohort of COVID-19 survivors, 33.6% received a psychiatric diagnosis within 6 months, including 12.8% with a first-ever diagnosis.
This retrospective cohort result describes recorded diagnoses after COVID-19. The proportion alone does not show how often diagnoses occurred among people without COVID-19.
See the evidence
Receive a psychiatric diagnosis within 6 months of COVID-19
33.6%
Taquet M, Geddes JR, Husain M, Luciano S, Harrison PJ. 6-month neurological and psychiatric outcomes in 236,379 survivors of COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study using electronic health records. Lancet Psychiatry. 2021;8(5):416-427.
Severe COVID-19 was associated with higher self-harm hazard
In a Korean nationwide cohort of individuals with depressive disorder, severe COVID-19 was associated with a higher hazard of self-harm than mild COVID-19.
This observational relative hazard estimate had a wide confidence interval. Absolute self-harm risks are not available in this summary.
See the evidence
Self-harm risk in severe vs. mild COVID-19 among individuals with depressive disorder
aHR 14.83 95% CI: 6.52-33.71
Cho, Jaehyeong et al.. Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 Across 15 Major Health Domains and 67 Diseases in Individuals With Depressive Disorder: A Korean Nationwide Cohort Study.. Journal of Korean medical science. 2026.
Observed iTBS remission was lower in Long COVID-associated depression
27.3% vs. 61.4%
After intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS), remission on the HAM-D17 depression measure was 27.3% in Long COVID-associated depression versus 61.4% in propensity-matched primary major depressive disorder.
This finding compares treated groups in a propensity-matched retrospective cohort rather than iTBS with no stimulation. Residual unmeasured confounding may remain.
See the evidence
HAM-D17 remission after iTBS in Long COVID-associated depression versus propensity-matched primary MDD; retrospective observational association with residual unmeasured confounding possible.
27.3% vs. 61.4%
Noda, Yoshihiro et al.. Comparative Treatment Response to Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation in Long COVID-Associated Depression Versus Major Depressive Disorder: A Propensity Score-Matched Retrospective Cohort Study.. Biomedicines. 2026.
Observed iTBS remission was lower in Long COVID-associated depression
27.3% vs. 61.4%
After intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS), remission on the HAM-D17 depression measure was 27.3% in Long COVID-associated depression versus 61.4% in propensity-matched primary major depressive disorder.
This finding compares treated groups in a propensity-matched retrospective cohort. Residual unmeasured confounding may remain.
Study details & original results
Noda, Yoshihiro et al.. Comparative Treatment Response to Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation in Long COVID-Associated Depression Versus Major Depressive Disorder: A Propensity Score-Matched Retrospective Cohort Study.. Biomedicines. 2026.
HAM-D17 remission after iTBS in Long COVID-associated depression versus propensity-matched primary MDD; retrospective observational association with residual unmeasured confounding possible.
Severe COVID-19 was associated with higher self-harm hazard
In a Korean nationwide cohort of individuals with depressive disorder, severe COVID-19 was associated with a higher hazard of self-harm than mild COVID-19.
This observational relative hazard estimate had a wide confidence interval. Absolute self-harm risks are not available in this summary.
Study details & original results
Cho, Jaehyeong et al.. Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 Across 15 Major Health Domains and 67 Diseases in Individuals With Depressive Disorder: A Korean Nationwide Cohort Study.. Journal of Korean medical science. 2026.
Self-harm risk in severe vs. mild COVID-19 among individuals with depressive disorder
Dates show when findings were added here, not when papers were published. Study populations and comparisons differ.
WHEN YOU WANT TO GO DEEPERSee all 28 findingsOriginal results, comparisons and study details.
6 of 6 source groupsFindings stay together with their study.
SOURCE 295 findings
Noda, Yoshihiro et al.. Comparative Treatment Response to Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation in Long COVID-Associated Depression Versus Major Depressive Disorder: A Propensity Score-Matched Retrospective Cohort Study.. Biomedicines. 2026.
MADRS improvement after left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex iTBS in medication-free patients with Long COVID-associated depression versus propensity-matched primary MDD; retrospective observational association with residual unmeasured confounding possible.
HAM-D17 improvement after iTBS in Long COVID-associated depression versus propensity-matched primary MDD; retrospective observational association with residual unmeasured confounding possible.
Adjusted MADRS improvement difference for Long COVID-associated depression versus primary MDD using IPTW and doubly robust models; residual unmeasured confounding cannot be excluded.
Adjusted HAM-D17 improvement difference for Long COVID-associated depression versus primary MDD using IPTW and doubly robust models; residual unmeasured confounding cannot be excluded.
HAM-D17 remission after iTBS in Long COVID-associated depression versus propensity-matched primary MDD; retrospective observational association with residual unmeasured confounding possible.
Cho, Jaehyeong et al.. Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 Across 15 Major Health Domains and 67 Diseases in Individuals With Depressive Disorder: A Korean Nationwide Cohort Study.. Journal of Korean medical science. 2026.
Taquet M, Geddes JR, Husain M, Luciano S, Harrison PJ. 6-month neurological and psychiatric outcomes in 236,379 survivors of COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study using electronic health records. Lancet Psychiatry. 2021;8(5):416-427.
Ceban F, Ling S, Lui LMW, et al. Fatigue and cognitive impairment in post-COVID-19 syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Brain Behav Immun. 2022;101:93-135.
Ryu, Soomin et al.. Prospective associations between Long COVID and mental health: evidence from a population-based study with a nearly three-year follow-up.. BMC public health. 2026.
Faseeh, Ahmar et al.. Prevalence and long-term outcomes of brain fog and cognitive impairment in individuals with long COVID: A systematic review.. Medicine. 2026.
Browse the 29 original sourcesThe complete bibliography behind this monitor.
[1]
Taquet M, Geddes JR, Husain M, Luciano S, Harrison PJ. 6-month neurological and psychiatric outcomes in 236,379 survivors of COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study using electronic health records. Lancet Psychiatry. 2021;8(5):416-427.
Taquet M, Sillett R, Zhu L, et al. Neurological and psychiatric risk trajectories after SARS-CoV-2 infection: an analysis of 2-year retrospective cohort studies including 1,284,437 patients. Lancet Psychiatry. 2022;9(10):815-827.
Pun BT, Badenes R, Heras La Calle G, et al. Prevalence and risk factors for delirium in critically ill patients with COVID-19 (COVID-D): a multicentre cohort study. Lancet Respir Med. 2021;9(3):239-250.
Mazza MG, Palladini M, De Lorenzo R, et al. Persistent psychopathology and neurocognitive impairment in COVID-19 survivors: effect of inflammatory biomarkers at three-month follow-up. Brain Behav Immun. 2021;94:138-147.
Pirkis J, John A, Shin S, et al. Suicide trends in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic: an interrupted time-series analysis of preliminary data from 21 countries. Lancet Psychiatry. 2021;8(7):579-588.
Santomauro DF, Mantilla Herrera AM, Shadid J, et al. Global prevalence and burden of depressive and anxiety disorders in 204 countries and territories in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lancet. 2021;398(10312):1700-1712.
Salari N, Hosseinian-Far A, Jalali R, et al. Prevalence of stress, anxiety, depression among the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Global Health. 2020;16:57.
Wu T, Jia X, Shi H, et al. Prevalence of mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. 2021;281:91-98.
Ceban F, Ling S, Lui LMW, et al. Fatigue and cognitive impairment in post-COVID-19 syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Brain Behav Immun. 2022;101:93-135.
Lopez-Leon S, Wegman-Ostrosky T, Perelman C, et al. More than 50 long-term effects of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sci Rep. 2021;11:16144.
Jahrami H, BaHammam AS, Bragazzi NL, et al. Sleep problems during the COVID-19 pandemic by population: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Sleep Med. 2021;17(2):299-313.
Racine N, McArthur BA, Cooke JE, et al. Global prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents during COVID-19: a meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatr. 2021;175(11):1142-1150.
Batra K, Singh TP, Sharma M, et al. Investigating the psychological impact of COVID-19 among healthcare workers: a meta-analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(23):9096.
World Health Organization. Mental health and COVID-19: Early evidence of the pandemic's impact. Geneva: WHO; 2022.
Original source link unavailable
[19]
Wang L, Wang Q, Davis PB, et al. Increased risk for COVID-19 breakthrough infection in fully vaccinated patients with substance use disorders in the United States between December 2020 and August 2021. World Psychiatry. 2022;21(1):124-132.
Pollard MS, Tucker JS, Green HD. Changes in adult alcohol use and consequences during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(9):e2022942.
Kennedy M, Helfand BKI, Gou RY, et al. Delirium in older patients with COVID-19 presenting to the emergency department. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(11):e2029540.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mental Health, Substance Use, and Suicidal Ideation During the COVID-19 Pandemic. MMWR. 2020;69(32):1049-1057.
Ryu, Soomin et al.. Prospective associations between Long COVID and mental health: evidence from a population-based study with a nearly three-year follow-up.. BMC public health. 2026.
Faseeh, Ahmar et al.. Prevalence and long-term outcomes of brain fog and cognitive impairment in individuals with long COVID: A systematic review.. Medicine. 2026.
Cho, Jaehyeong et al.. Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 Across 15 Major Health Domains and 67 Diseases in Individuals With Depressive Disorder: A Korean Nationwide Cohort Study.. Journal of Korean medical science. 2026.
Noda, Yoshihiro et al.. Comparative Treatment Response to Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation in Long COVID-Associated Depression Versus Major Depressive Disorder: A Propensity Score-Matched Retrospective Cohort Study.. Biomedicines. 2026.
This is an AI-assisted evidence summary, not a clinician endorsement. Read each original paper for its complete methods, population and limitations. Different studies can ask different questions and report different kinds of results.
Dates marked “added” describe when a finding entered this monitor, not when the study was published or clinically reviewed. Personal health and treatment decisions belong in a conversation with a qualified clinician.