Incidence of mental illness lower in vaccinated cohort compared with pre-vaccine availability and unvaccinated cohorts<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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FRIDAY, Aug. 23, 2024 (HealthDay News) — For unvaccinated people, the incidence of mental illness is elevated after diagnosis of COVID-19, according to a study published online Aug. 21 in JAMA Psychiatry<\/em>.<\/p>\n Venexia M. Walker, Ph.D., from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and colleagues examined whether mental illness is associated with diagnosed COVID-19 by vaccination status in a study conducted in three cohorts: before vaccine availability (January 2020 to June 2021; 18,648,606 people) and vaccinated (14,035,286 individuals) and unvaccinated (3,242,215 individuals) cohorts during June to December 2021.<\/p>\n The researchers found that in each cohort, the incidence of most mental illness outcomes was elevated during weeks 1 through 4 after COVID-19 diagnosis compared with before or without COVID-19. Compared with the pre-vaccine availability cohort and the unvaccinated cohort, the vaccinated cohort had a lower incidence of mental illnesses, specifically depression and serious mental illness during weeks 1 through 4 after COVID-19 (adjusted hazard ratios, 1.16 and 0.91, respectively, in the vaccinated cohort; 1.93 and 1.49, respectively, in the pre-vaccine availability cohort; and 1.79 and 1.45, respectively, in the unvaccinated cohort). After hospitalization for COVID-19, the elevation in incidence was higher and persisted longer.<\/p>\n “This has important implications for public health and mental health service provision, as serious mental illnesses are associated with more intensive health care needs and longer-term health and other adverse effects,” the authors write.<\/p>\n One author disclosed ties to AstraZeneca.<\/p>\n