People living with long-COVID are at significant risk of experiencing depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to research published in the European Respiratory Journal.

The research is one of the first long-term follow-up studies of people who presented at hospital with COVID-19.

Researchers found that a significant proportion of patients who attended hospital, whether admitted or discharged from the emergency department and regardless of disease severity, experienced an ongoing mental health burden – 14% showed signs of depression and 11% experienced PTSD.

The researchers say that COVID-19 patients should be routinely monitored for psychological distress in post-COVID care to ensure that they recover both physically and mentally.

Researchers conducted virtual follow-up care with 760 patients who presented at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, UK, with COVID-19 including those who were treated in the emergency department (112 patients), inpatient wards (558) and intensive care unit (90).

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