At first you might have thought you were just experiencing a “case of the blues.” However, you
haven’t been able to snap out of it and that blue feeling has lingered. This is something that many people who had COVID-19 are now experiencing after their bout with the virus. In fact, the National Institutes of Health have found that:
“Depressive psychopathology was reported in around 35% of patients at short, medium, and long-term follow-up after the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Post-COVID-19 depressive symptoms are known to increase fatigue and affect neurocognitive functioning, sleep, quality of life, and global functioning in COVID-19 survivors. The psychopathological mechanisms underlying post-COVID-19 depressive symptoms are mainly related to the inflammation triggered by the peripheral immune-inflammatory response to the viral infection and to the persistent psychological burden during and after infection.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9210800/
Possible Lingering Mental Effects Of COVID-19
No two cases of depression are alike. The following list provides some insight into the way
depression often manifests:
- A lack of interest in hobbies, social activities, or sex
- Difficulty in doing things that used to be easy (such as getting out of bed or getting dressed)
- Increased irritability, frustration and outbursts, even over minor annoyances
- Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness, or hopelessness
- Sleep challenges, including insomnia or oversleeping
- Exhaustion or lack of energy
- Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased cravings for food and weight gain
- Anxiety or restlessness
- Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self-blame
- Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions, and remembering things
- Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide
- Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches
- Mental health medications that were effective before suddenly stop working after a bout of
Covid
How We Treat Post Covid Depression At Serenity and Wellness Counseling
People with a history of depression and anxiety are more likely to suffer from moderate or severe
post Covid depression. Many people describe post Covid depression as a darkness they cannot
escape. This sense of powerlessness and hopelessness may be difficult to overcome without help.
Here at Serenity and Wellness Counseling, we take a wholistic mind body approach to
depression through a variety of research-based modalities.
A noninvasive procedure that measures a patient’s brainwaves and provides the patient with real-time feedback about how the brain is functioning.
Neurofeedback Therapy which is a noninvasive type of biofeedback technique that measures
brainwaves and provides real-time feedback about how the brain is functioning. The aim of this
procedure is to help our patients gain voluntary control over certain body functions that are
typically involuntary (such as heart rate, muscle contraction or brainwaves). Biofeedback uses
electronic instruments to convey to the patient certain physiological processes happening in their
body that they are typically not aware of and helps patients learn self-control of brain functions
by indicating how their brains react to certain triggers. Over time, patients learn to recognize
when their brain is in a certain state. Then, they can learn to recreate the desired state, such as
relaxation, or avoid undesired states, such as agitation, in their daily lives.
We know that depression is experienced differently, and people respond to approaches
differently. In addition to Neurofeedback Therapy, we also find that Cognitive Behavior Therapy
(CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing
(EMDR) work very well on patients suffering from depression.
Restore Your Hope And Feel Good Again
If you or a loved one are experiencing depressive symptoms after having COVID-19, you or they
may have post-COVID depression. Treating post Covid Depression when symptoms are mild is
far simpler than letting those feelings escalate into something far worse. No matter how you are
personally experiencing depression, it is possible to identify and change negative thought
patterns and to develop healthy ways to deal with stressful situations and feel like participating
fully in your life again. To begin your journey of healing and empowerment, you can call me at
281-944-SWCC for a free 15-minute phone consultation. I look forward to working with you.
