People with severe mental illness (SMI) have higher risks for COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and mortality, according to a study published in Molecular Psychiatry. Lamiece Hassan, PhD, and colleagues investigated COVID-19-related infection, hospitalization, and mortality among people with SMI participating in the UK Biobank cohort study. The analysis included data from 447,296 participants (schizophrenia/psychosis, 1,925; bipolar disease [BD], 1,483; and major depressive disorder [MDD], 41,448; plus 402,440 with no SMI) that were linked with healthcare and death records. Higher odds of COVID-19 mortality were seen for people with schizophrenia/ psychosis (OR, 4.84), BD (OR, 3.76), and MDD (OR, 1.99) versus people with no SMI. Across all SMI groups, higher odds of infection and hospitalization were also seen, particularly among people with schizophrenia/psychosis (OR, 1.61 and 3.47, respectively) and BD (OR, 1.48 and 3.31, respectively). Mortality and hospitalization remained significantly higher among all SMI groups in fully adjusted models, while infection odds remained significantly higher only for major depressive disorder.
