Social isolation, economic stress, loss of loved ones and other struggles during the pandemic have contributed to rising mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
But can having COVID-19 increase the risk of developing mental health problems? A large new study suggests it can.
The study, published Wednesday in the journal The BMJ, analyzed records of nearly 154,000 COVID-19 patients in the Veterans Health Administration system and compared their experience in the year after they recovered from their initial infection with that of a similar group of people who did not contract the virus.