Corona Virus-19 Infection and Psychiatric Illnesses

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) primarily affects the respiratory system, however, the clinical presentation of patients is usually multi-systemic due to the immunologic response to the virus. Neuropsychiatric symptoms occur in one-third of patients during the acute phase of the infection and represent initial symptoms in a small number of patients. The exact mechanism by which COVID-19 causes Neuropsychiatric symptoms is not fully understood, however, researchers have suggested the roles of the hyperactive immune response and the affinity of the virus to some receptors in the brain, among other possibilities. There are pathognomonic neuropsychiatric symptoms specific to COVID-19, nevertheless, commonly reported and/or observed presentations include, delirium, anxiousness, depression and sleep problems. The majority of patients have mild to moderate symptom severity with optimal response to short-course of appropriate psychotropic medications and other psychosocial interventions.