Long Covid sufferers should be offered psychiatric care if symptoms last more than 12 weeks

People who suffer from the debilitating effects of long Covid should be offered psychiatric care, the first clinical guidance to be published on the subject recommends.

The guidelines urge healthcare professionals to look out for signs that patients who continue to suffer symptoms of COVID-19 for weeks after contracting the virus are at risk of self-harm.

In the new advice, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Royal College of General Practitioners, say people with ongoing symptomatic COVID-19 or suspected post-Covid 19 syndrome, whose symptoms last longer than 12 weeks, should be “urgently” referred for assessment if they have severe psychiatric symptoms or are at risk of self-harm or suicide.

The guidelines state: “Follow relevant national or local guidelines on referral for people who have anxiety and mood disorders or other psychiatric symptoms. Consider referral for psychological therapies if they have common mental health symptoms, such as symptoms of mild anxiety and mild depression, or to a liaison psychiatry service if they have more complex needs (especially if they have a complex physical and mental health presentation).”

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Source: The Telegraph, 18 December 2020