Yet Another Study Finds That COVID-19 Affects Mental Health Even in Young and Mildly Infected Individuals!
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team May 02, 2025 9 hours, 56 minutes ago
Medical News: Post COVID Syndrome Linked to Lasting Depression Sleep Issues and Cognitive Decline
A new study by researchers from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Iran has revealed alarming long-term effects of COVID-19, showing that many who recover from the virus continue to suffer months later from depression, sleep disorders, and cognitive decline—even if their initial infection was mild or asymptomatic. These findings add to a growing body of global research highlighting the hidden burden of Post-COVID Syndrome (PCS), a condition defined by lingering symptoms that persist more than 12 weeks after infection.
Yet Another Study Finds That COVID-19 Affects Mental Health Even in Young and Mildly Infected Individuals!
The research team, consisting of Armin Adibi, Ali Motahharynia, Iman Adibi, and Mehdi Sanayei from the Center for Translational Neuroscience, the Department of Neurology, and the Isfahan Neuroscience Research Center, all at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, conducted a detailed study on 45 people with PCS and compared them to 60 healthy individuals. This
Medical News report emphasizes how even younger adults with no history of psychological or cognitive issues are not spared the aftereffects of SARS-CoV-2.
Hidden Scars of the Virus
The study found that over 53% of individuals in the PCS group were experiencing depression compared to just 26% in the control group. Alarmingly, the same percentage (53.9%) also reported sleep disturbances—a significant contrast to only 18.6% among healthy participants. Many of these individuals had mild infections and were never hospitalized, yet they reported chronic issues months later, with sleep latency (trouble falling asleep) and short sleep duration being the most commonly affected areas.
In terms of cognitive health, 13.3% of COVID-19 survivors were found to have mild to moderate cognitive impairment. This rate was significantly higher than the 1.6% observed in the healthy group. Researchers used tools such as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to quantify these differences.
Working Memory May Be Spared—For Now
Despite the stark differences in depression, sleep, and cognition, the study found no significant differences in working memory performance using two well-established tests—the Delayed Match-to-Sample (DMS) and the n-back task. Participants in both groups performed similarly, suggesting that while general cognition may be impacted, specific memory functions like working memory might remain intact, at least in young and otherwise healthy populations.
However, scientists caution that even without noticeable working memory decline, the combination of depression and poor sleep is known to be a major contributor to future cognitive problems, including dementia. Past research has established strong links between poor sleep, depression, and neurodegeneration, with long-term sleep issues potentially accelerating me
mory loss and structural brain changes.
The Road Ahead
The research paints a worrying picture of how COVID-19 continues to disrupt lives long after the virus leaves the body. Individuals as young as 19 and as old as 58 in the PCS group reported ongoing mental and physical symptoms nearly a year after infection, with an average duration of symptoms being 10 months. Despite the absence of fatigue as a statistically significant complaint in this particular study, the broader implications of the findings are critical.
The researchers conclude that failing to treat depression and sleep disturbances in COVID-19 survivors could significantly raise the risk of future cognitive decline and even dementia. This is especially concerning given that most of the participants were young adults, many of whom never needed hospitalization during their acute illness.
In summary, while working memory might escape early damage, long COVID survivors face a range of silent but serious mental health issues that could impact their quality of life for years to come. The study underscores the importance of screening and supporting COVID-19 survivors—not just for physical symptoms, but for psychological and neurological health as well.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Discover Mental Health.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44192-025-00193-7
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https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/long-covid-brain-inflammation-could-be-the-hidden-cause-of-cognitive-decline-and-mental-health-issues
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/study-warns-that-mild-to-moderate-covid-19-is-causing-long-term-mental-health-disorders-in-young-adults
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/vietnamese-study-finds-that-covid-19-triggers-depression
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