- People with severe mental illness are at higher risk for COVID-19, but are unlikely to be given the coronavirus vaccine in advance.
- People diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, major depression or schizophrenia are much more likely to develop the new coronavirus than people without severe mental illness.
- Experts believe that these groups should be given preference to a COVID-19 vaccine.
People with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and depressive disorder are at a higher risk of contracting the new coronavirus and dying from COVID-19.
In most countries, however, this dangerous population is not predisposed to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Society needs to prioritize risk groups, but it is disturbing to see that mental health is an afterthought even during the pandemic – if it is – for many countries,” said Hilkka Kärkkäinen, president of the Global Alliance of Mental Illness Advocacy Networks-Europe GAMIAN-Europe), said in a news release.
“The scientific evidence is clear that COVID, and the consequent exclusion, do significant damage to people with serious mental health problems, but very few countries deal with it. That needs to change. ”
In a new study, Kärkkäinen and her colleagues looked at 20 European countries to see how they prioritize risk groups for COVID-19 vaccination.
They found that only Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom recognize severe mental illness as a high-risk medical condition that can be used to vaccinate people earlier.
Their results were published in the magazine on February 17
This is a gloomy statistic reflected by the United States.
Only a few states, such as New Jersey and Ohio, include people with severe mental illness in the early stages of COVID-19 vaccination. And it was limited to inpatients at psychiatric hospitals.
While many
Recent research shows that people diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, major depression or schizophrenia are much more likely to develop the new coronavirus than people without severe mental illness.
Researchers believe this may be because people with severe mental illness are more likely to work in unsafe environments, live in overcrowded group settings or be homeless – all factors that increase their chances of acquiring the virus.
Severe mental illness also increases the risk of dying from COVID-19.
One
A more recent study in
The authors of the study wrote that people with schizophrenia may have differences in their immune systems that may expose them to severe COVID-19.
Or the medications used to treat schizophrenia may make COVID-19 worse.
Additional research is needed to determine whether these factors played a role in the patients’ outcomes.
Dr. Benjamin Druss, a professor and Rosalynn Carter chair in mental health at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Georgia, says the study in New York City suggests that severe mental illness may increase one person’s risk over the other. factors.
‘People with severe mental illness are definitely at high risk [for COVID-19] due to comorbidities, “he said,” and they may have a higher risk over and above the comorbidities, as suggested in that article. “
But there are other reasons to prioritize this group for the COVID-19 vaccine.
“People with severe mental illness are also at risk of not getting the vaccine, even if they are not eligible,” Druss said. He says this is due to a variety of reasons, such as higher homelessness and not regular sources of primary medical care.
He thinks the designation of this group as a high-risk population should go hand in hand with the allocation of vaccine doses to facilities where people with severe mental illness receive services or health care, such as group homes, shelters for the homeless, community centers for mental health and psychiatric hospitals.
The approval of a single-dose vaccine may help to reach this population, as people who receive care or services in these places may not return for a second dose.
“Now, with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on hand, requiring only a single dose, it makes even more sense to expand the range of sites the vaccines offer to different types of public mental health facilities,” he said.
Although most states do not prioritize people with severe mental illness for the COVID-19 vaccine, people may fall into a different priority category based on their age or other medical conditions.
To find out if you or anyone else is eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in your state, consult your state or local health department.