Patient Symptoms and Experience Following COVID-19: Results from a UK Wide Survey

Factors shaping the mental health and well-being of people experiencing persistent COVID-19 symptoms or ‘long COVID’: qualitative study

“…They echo work that has previously described symptoms, impact on daily life and interaction with healthcare providers. 14 , 22 , 31 However, our work extends previous findings by highlighting which features of long COVID are seen as most significant in shaping mental health and well-being from the perspective of people with lived experience. Our findings also improve understanding of how these features are experienced by people with long COVID, and as such, present potentially useful considerations for healthcare, self-management and wider society.…”

“…33 Our findings identified the relevance of relapsing-remitting disease trajectories as important drivers of negative mental states because of related uncertainty about the future, which is well-established as a driver of anxiety and depression for people with various chronic diseases. 34 Other research, particularly from earlier on in the pandemic, also identified various barriers to healthcare, 1,14,22,31 including a lack of specialist service provision and limited understanding of the illness from healthcare professionals. Our study also shows that some people resorted to accessing private healthcare and therefore felt better supported to manage their symptoms.…”

“…In keeping with the growing body of research, our participants reported multiple, varied, relapsing-remitting symptoms often severely affecting their ability to engage in daily life, resulting in a reduced sense of achievement, meaning and purpose. 14 , 22 , 31 The PERMA theory of well-being posits that engagement in tasks and activities is vital to maintaining positive well-being, 17 therefore these limitations have strong negative effects on mental health through limiting participation in enjoyable and meaningful aspects of life and those that gave individuals their sense of identity, including work, leisure and social activities. Social identity theory suggests that we derive meaning and purpose from the roles we play within communities and groups, and that this positively affects individual health and well-being; 20 when participants in our study were no longer able to connect with their previous positive identities and these were replaced with illness-related identities, this posed a threat to well-being.…”

“…19 Social identity theory also posits that having meaning and purpose in the roles that individuals play within society is crucial for health and wellbeing, and that any disruption in ability to fulfil these roles, for example as a result of chronic illness, can negatively affect mental health. 20 Effects on mental health and well-being are commonly reported by people with long COVID, in particular features of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, 8,9,21,22 with cognitive processing disorders (or 'brain fog') also frequently reported. 8,9 Mental health effects are likely multifactorial in origin, including the psychosocial context of the pandemic, 23,24 pre-existing individual susceptibilities 23,25 and physical biological processes related to SARS-CoV-2 infection.…”

“…Effects on mental health and well-being are commonly reported by people with long COVID, in particular features of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, 8 , 9 , 21 , 22 with cognitive processing disorders (or ‘brain fog’) also frequently reported. 8 , 9 Mental health effects are likely multifactorial in origin, including the psychosocial context of the pandemic, 23 , 24 pre-existing individual susceptibilities 23 , 25 and physical biological processes related to SARS-CoV-2 infection.…”