The impact of healthcare setting on post-COVID mood disorders: a single-centre perspective from Southern Italy Respiratory Intensive Care Unit

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Post-COVID syndrome includes several clinical identities, with both physical and mental alterations lasting several months from the acute phase of COVID-19 disease. However, to date, data concerning the relationship between healthcare settings during COVID-19 disease and post-COVID mood disorders are lacking. METHODS: We performed a prospective study enrolling 440 patients with post-COVID syndrome. Each patient underwent a complete clinical evaluation, along with blood and functional tests. Patients were divided according to the healthcare setting needed during COVID-19 disease. RESULTS: Patients admitted to RICU were more prone to develop mental alterations, even when compared to ICU-admitted patients. Other risk factors for mood disorders included female gender and some post-COVID symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare needs during COVID-19 can explain the higher incidence of mood disorders in post-COVID syndrome. RICU arises as an important but underexplored risk factor for post-COVID psychic sequelae.