A cross-sectional study on the mental health of survivors of COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu, India

Background: The novel coronavirus COVID 19 has been having an impact on the mental health of people. Studies have shown that a considerable percentage of people who have recovered from the infection suffer from mental health issues. Hence, it is important to follow-up on the persons who have recovered from the illness so that adequate support is provided to aid in reducing morbidity due to the illness. METHODOLOGY: The study was conducted among persons who had recovered from COVID-19 in a single hospital. Participants were contacted a month following their discharge from the hospital and they were encouraged to fill in the questionnaire containing the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS) scale and the Impact of Event Scale (IES) scale. The scores were analyzed for the presence of anxiety, depression, stress, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Those who had scores indicative of severe levels were encouraged to follow-up with the psychiatrists for appropriate treatment and therapy. RESULTS: The scores obtained in the DASS showed that 2.5% of the participants had scores indicative of severe levels of stress, 25.3% of the participants had scores indicative of severe anxiety, and 7.3% of the participants had scores indicative of severe levels of depression. The scores in the IES indicated that 15.1% of the participants indicated that there was a significant impact on their mental health due to the event and 17.2% of the participants had scores indicative of the presence of symptoms of PTSD. There is a strong correlation between the scores of IES and the degree of lung involvement. CONCLUSION: Persons who have recovered from COVID-19 are at risk at developing anxiety, depression, and PTSD.