The spectrum and severity of psychopathological symptoms in previously healthy individuals who have had severe COVID-19 pneumonia

INTRODUCTION: The medical novelty of COVID-19 requires a comprehensive study of its impact on various areas of human health, including mental health. OBJECTIVES: To study the spectrum and severity of psychopathological disorders in previously healthy patients of different age groups who have had moderate and severe COVID-19 pneumonia. METHODS: Immediately after stabilization of the physical condition, patients completed the Symptom Checklist-90-R, designed to assess 11 parameters: somatization (SOM), obsessive-compulsive (OS), interpersonal sensitivity (INT), depression (DEP), anxiety (ANX), hostility (HOS), phobic anxiety (PHOB), paranoid ideas (PAR), psychoticism (PSY). Patients with cognitive impairment were excluded. RESULTS: The study involved 148 patients aged from 26 to 84 years. In the general sample, psychopathological symptoms were detected mainly on the SOM, DEP, ANX, HOS scales. To a lesser extent - on the INT and PAR scales; were practically not determined on the PSY and PHOB scales. Most of the symptoms are significantly more intense in patients over 46 years old (n = 129) compared with the younger population (<46 years old, n = 19). Older patients according to SOM revealed 1.23 points (IQR 0.5) versus 0.85 (IQR 0.7) among young people, DEP - 0.88 (IQR 0.44) vs. 0.47 (IQR 0.44), ANX - 0.66 (IQR 0.44) vs. 0.43 (IQR 0.29), OS - 0.55 (IQR 0.5) vs. 0.31 (IQR 0.25) and HOS - 0.46 (IQR 0.34) vs. 0.29 (IQR 0.09). CONCLUSIONS: Patients recovering from severe COVID-19 pneumonia require psychiatric evaluation and subsequent differentiated psychotherapeutic rehabilitation, especially for the age group over 46. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: No significant relationships.