Beyond mood screening: a pilot study of emotional, cognitive, and somatic concerns in patients with Long COVID

This descriptive pilot study reported the emotional, cognitive, and somatic concerns of a clinically referred sample of patients with Long COVID using a comprehensive psychological measure. These subjective concerns were considered in the context of other psychological characteristics and historical mental health factors.

The study sample comprised 26 adults with Long COVID who were referred from a neurology COVID-19 clinic for neuropsychological screening based on the patient's cognitive concerns. Empirically established cutoffs from the Personality Assessment Inventory were used to assess clinically elevated emotional, cognitive, and somatic concerns. Preexisting mental health data were obtained via medical records and clinical interview.

Approximately 62 and 50% of the sample had elevated somatic and cognitive concerns, respectively. Additionally, 42% of the sample exhibited elevated emotional concerns associated with depression, but this was primarily driven by the physiological aspects of depression. Between 15-27% of patients had elevated anxiety-related concerns. Over 80% of the sample had previously received psychotherapy and had been diagnosed with a mental health disorder prior to their SARS-CoV-2 infection. Furthermore, over half of the sample reported a history of abuse, and 12-15% had previously attempted suicide or had been hospitalized for psychiatric reasons.

Findings suggest that patients with Long COVID may present with extensive psychiatric histories and various somatic, cognitive, and emotional concerns. These psychological characteristics may be important for the treatment of Long COVID but may be overlooked using screening measures.