According to a recent study by Intermountain Healthcare researchers in Salt Lake City, some patients’ depression worsened during the pandemic, resulting in an increase in emergency room visits for anxiety and chest pain.
Increased Depression Rate Increases Heart Disease Risk During Epidemic
Aside from negatively impacting the physical well-being of millions of Americans, the COVID-19 epidemic has also had a significant psychological impact.
It is a fact that in the past century, no one has seen such an epidemic where the whole world has to be on a halt. The severity of the virus is also increasing with its new variants, which have made many people worried about their health. Many people have also lost their source of income, and hence overall, it has been a mentally painful condition for people, which has led them to severe heart issues.
On Saturday, Nov. 13, researchers presented their findings at the American Heart Association’s virtual 2021 Scientific Sessions. In the first year, approximately 40% of patients tested reported new or persistent symptoms of depression, according to the findings of the study. People’s mental and physical well-being has been adversely impacted by the pandemic, according to the research of 4,633 patients.
“These findings are significant. In looking at the first year of the pandemic, we are already seeing the mental health effects on our patients,” Heidi T. May, Ph.D., remarked.
During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers looked at 4,633 Intermountain Healthcare patients who had completed depression screenings as part of their regular general care visits. As a part of this study, “before” and “during” were defined as March 1, 2019, through February 29, 2020, and April 20, 2021, respectively.
“We already know that depression raises a person’s risk for developing cardiovascular disease and other chronic health problems, so this is very concerning and highlights the importance of screening patients and providing mental health resources that they need,” Dr. May added.
Patients were categorized into two groups: those who were no longer depressed and those who were still depressed. Electronic health data were used to screen individuals for follow-up emergency room visits for anxiety and chest pain.
Anxiety with chest pains was reported to have a 2.8 times larger chance of being taken to the ER by persons who were depressed than those who weren’t.
Dr. May said it is important to identify people with depression because “we know that it’s a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease; and if people are becoming more depressed because of the pandemic, in a few years, we could see a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease.”
Depressed patients’ depression screening scores went up during the pandemic, according to the study’s findings. Anxiety-related trips to the ER were shown to be more common in people who were depressed than those who were not.
“Clinicians should be acutely aware of their patient’s mental health so that it can be addressed and treated immediately to improve the overall quality of their lives and hopefully avoid the development of subsequent health problems in the future. This is vital because the pandemic is still not over,” she added.
Dr. May noted that more study is needed to see if the epidemic has any long-term effects on mental health.
There is an urgent need to organize long-term experimental, developmental research, as well as to execute an evidence-based elaborative plan of actions to address the psychosocial & mental health needs of vulnerable kids and adolescents during and after a pandemic.
Accessibility to mental healthcare services for children and adolescents must be improved in order to provide strategies for developing good coping mechanisms throughout the current crisis.
Programs with immediate and online collaboration connections of psychiatrists, therapists, doctors, and volunteers are thought required for this new kid and teen mental health policy.
