Published by Brinkwire.com.
The harmful effects of COVID-19 may go beyond the body, whether you’ve contracted the disease or not, according to University of Arizona research looking at the impact of the novel coronavirus on mental health.
A team of UArizona psychiatrists and sleep researchers led by William “Scott” Killgore, psychiatry professor in the College of Medicine—Tucson, found evidence in surveys that during the wide lockdown period in April, there may have been a spike in suicidal thoughts in the United States. They found two possible reasons for the increase: loneliness and anxiety-induced insomnia.
Their findings, which are yet to be peer-reviewed, were recently published as letters to the editor of the journal Psychiatry Research.
The findings are based on surveys of over 1,000 Americans between the ages of 18 and 34. The team continues to analyze survey data monthly in an effort to track mental health responses to COVID-19 throughout the year.