RESEARCH WEEKLY: Mood Disorders are Risk Factor for COVID-19 Hospitalization and Death
By Kelli South
Results from the report indicate that the estimated vaccination rates of clubhouse members were, on average, higher than the vaccination rates of the county population where the clubhouse is located. Furthermore, efforts by the Clubhouses to eliminate barriers for their members to receive the vaccine appeared to be successful, particularly sharing factual information on the vaccine and having vaccinated members share their stories with unvaccinated members.
Research showing that people with serious mental illness are at a higher risk of dying from COVID-19 continues to mount, which makes this new report more important than ever. Particularly in countries where the vaccine is still not widely available, public policy should prioritize those with serious mental illness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
New study adds to mounting evidence base
One of the latest studies on this topic, released in JAMA Psychiatry in July, is a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that analyze the association between mood disorders and risk of COVID-19. While many reports have been published about the association between schizophrenia and COVID-19 mortality, this new study is one of the first to conduct a meta-analysis of literature concerning mood disorders and COVID-19 risks specifically; meta-analyses and systematic reviews are considered to be strong methods for analysis in the research community.
Study details
The systematic review and meta-analysis included 21 studies, with data from over 91 million individuals. The review only included studies that examined people with pre-existing depression, bipolar, or other mood disorders before their COVID-19 diagnosis.
The study found that people with a pre-existing mood disorder diagnosis were significantly more likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19 compared to those without the pre-existing diagnosis. The authors were unable to determine which patients included in the study had depression and which had bipolar, and thus were unable to investigate whether one mood disorder caused a person to be more at risk than another.
The authors provide a variety of hypotheses as to why people with mood disorders have this higher risk of hospitalization and death, including social determinants of health and lack of access to healthcare, increased likelihood of living in a congregate care facility, increased likelihood of cigarette smoking or substance use disorder, and disturbed immune system functioning.
The results from this study imply that people with serious mental illness should be considered a high-risk group for COVID-19 hospitalization and death. As COVID-19 variants continue to spread, it is more important than ever to identify potential risks and conduct outreach to at-risk populations about safety precautions and vaccine efficacy.
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