Premium‘Getting the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine resulted in significant improvements in mental health beyond improvement already achieved since mental distress peaked in spring 2020,’ the study noted
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The latest research on the Covid-19 vaccine has found that people who have received the first dose are less likely to experience stress. The research by the Centre for Economic and Social Research (CESR) at the University of Southern California published recently a study in the journal PLOS that stated, "Getting the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine resulted in significant improvements in mental health beyond improvement already achieved since mental distress peaked in spring 2020."
The study was conducted on 8,003 adults at regular intervals between March 10, 2020, and March 31, 2021. It found out that "people who were vaccinated between December 2020 and March 2021 reported decreased mental distress levels in the surveys conducted after receiving the first dose".
However, Indian doctors affirm that there is a short-term effect of vaccination in boosting mental health as highlighted by the study.
Dr Nand Kumar, professor and in-charge, ICMR CARE in Neuromodulation for Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, AIIMS, New Delhi said, "I think they have covered a good sample. They have covered over 8000 people. It is a good study. But, for vaccines per se, there is no scientific data that says that there is any biological effect of the vaccine that can boost mental health. But vaccine certainly helps in improving mental health in general."
He said the Covid-19 vaccination has improved mental health not directly but indirectly by boosting people's confidence about the safety that they are vaccinated and they are safe. People have become more outgoing, confident in going out and meeting people. The fear of the pandemic and that they will be affected by the virus has come down significantly.
Dr Jaswant Jangra, Senior resident Psychiatry at AIIMS New Delhi said people have to become assured that they won't get admitted to the hospital after getting vaccinated.
He said that he observed that his patients, especially the ones who have completed both the doses of vaccines are now feeling a bit relaxed and their relapses are less. The researchers who undertook the study said the results should be interpreted as the short-term direct effects of getting a first vaccine dose.
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