Emotional distress, fear and the way some patients experience COVID-19 and the pandemic has increased the number of people heading to the psychiatric hospital to treat issues with their mental health.

“There’s without a doubt, a rise in concerns of a psychiatric nature. It’s also the case, that many patients that might have never exhibited any signs or suffered from any psychological problems, to have noticed these signs for the first time, after the pandemic or after contracting the coronavirus,” – said Irena Thoma, psychiatrist.

The doctor also noted that there has been a considerable rise in people suffering from diseases such as dementia or Alzheimer’s, which lead to an ageing of the brain.

“It isn’t necessarily COVID that is causing Alzheimer’s but there’s an undeniable link. Someone that suffers from Alzheimer’s has a brain that continues to age more rapidly, and begins to lose the previous personality glow, the person’s character, they start having a harder time to focus or take care of themselves, etc.,” – added the doctor.

Dementia can start with something like a depressed state, memory loss, difficulty in getting new information, insomnia etc.

In order to avoid such symptoms, the doctor advises patients that are currently trying to beat a COVID-19 infection, to focus on getting better instead of on their fear.