World may never find 'silver bullet' Covid vaccine, says WHO

Researchers in Italy have found that Covid-19 survivors suffer higher rates of psychiatric disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, insomnia and depression, according to Reuters.

The survey by San Raffaele hospital in Milan showed that more than half of the 402 patients monitored after being treated for the virus experienced at least one of the disorders in proportion to the severity of the inflammation during the disease.

The patients - 265 men and 137 women - were examined at a one-month follow-up after hospital treatment. Based on clinical interviews and self-assessment questionnaires, physicians found PTSD in 28% of cases, depression in 31%, anxiety in 42% of patients and insomnia in 40%, and finally obsessive-compulsive symptoms in 20%.

The report was published on Monday in the scientific journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity. The study found that women in particular suffered the most from anxiety and depression, despite the lower severity of the infection, the statement said.

“We hypothesise that this may be due to the different functioning of the immune system,” said professor Francesco Benedetti, group leader of the research unit in psychiatry and clinical psychobiology at San Raffaele, in a statement.