Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic, originating in Wuhan, China, rapidly spread globally, causing a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations from asymptomatic cases to severe respiratory distress and multi-organ failure, with higher risk in the elderly and those with comorbidities. The pandemic has highlighted increased psychological stress, particularly in individuals with pre-existing psychiatric conditions, who face higher hospitalization and mortality risks. This study investigates the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in COVID-19 patients to inform better management strategies. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study included 384 COVID-19 patients referred to a psychiatry clinic, aged 18-60 years, with confirmed infection and complete medical records. Those without COVID history or incomplete records were excluded. Ethics approval and informed consent were obtained. Data was collected via checklist and interviews and analyzed using descriptive statistics in SPSS 22. Results: This cross-sectional study examined 384 COVID-19 patients with psychiatric disorders, with a mean age of 35.2 years. Most were married and had a high school education. The most common underlying medical conditions were diabetes (16%) and hypertension (12%). Predominant psychiatric disorders were major depressive disorder (22.1%), panic disorder (20.1%), somatic symptom disorder (15.6%), and insomnia (13.8%). Notably, 82% of participants were vaccinated against COVID-19, with varied vaccination rates across different disorders. Conclusion: This study revealed a high prevalence of major depressive disorder and panic disorder among patients who referred to a psychiatric clinic with a confirmed history of COVID-19. Furthermore, patients with major depressive disorder exhibited the highest rates of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.
Ghasemi et al. (Wed,) studied this question.