Long Covid is currently a frequent and unwelcome visitor to the clinic, as we see more and more patients with symptoms of this long-term condition. Our team have now treated over 70 clients with long Covid in our UK and Irish clinics, and the numbers are sadly increasing.
It’s clear that long Covid symptoms are causing misery and disabling symptoms to people of all ages and from all walks of life; The Lancet calls it ‘a modern medical challenge of the first order’. According to the Office for National Statistics, by 4 July 2021, an estimated 945,000 people in the UK (or 1.5% of the population) had self-reported long Covid; 34,000 of these cases were in children aged 2-16 years.
While the physical symptoms are becoming obvious to physicians, the mental health effects are far less visible in wider society, and this puts a barrier in front of those experiencing the condition.
Scientists are still undecided on a precise definition of long Covid. Nevertheless, they have agreed there are several common themes that greatly trouble its victims.
Symptoms of Long Covid
A review (Shah W, Hillman T, Playford ED, et al.) identified that the most frequent symptoms of long Covid are fatigue and dyspnoea, or shortness of breath. Other less typical symptoms include cognitive and mental disorders, headache, myalgia (muscle pain), chest and joint pains, smell and taste dysfunctions, cough, hair loss, insomnia, wheezing, rhinorrhoea (runny nose), sputum, and cardiac and gastrointestinal issues. These symptoms may persist for up to six months and counting, after hospital discharge or symptom onset.
Less common symptoms of pernio (chilblains), chills, flushing, ear pain, and visual impairments associated with long COVID have also been documented (Stavem K, Ghanima W, Olsen MK, et al.). This shows the multifaceted nature of long Covid and how it involves multiple organ systems, leading to complex care needs.
The wide range of symptoms associated with this post-inflammatory condition are very frightening; many people don’t know how to cope with daily life, and understandably so. Patients with long Covid may have previously been very fit and healthy, getting involved in sports, managing a busy career, or travelling around the world, yet now they are faced with months or even years of pain, mobility issues and fatigue.
Professor Danny Altmann, from the Department of Immunology and Inflammation at Imperial College London, said on a podcast:
“In many cases, these are people who have life-changing illness. These are people who used to cycle to work who can no longer cycle, these people who now find it difficult to go up and down stairs, and people used to be full-time full-on workers, who now find it hard to turn up for a full-time job and have gone part-time.”
Long Covid causes many problems in every part of a person’s life, from having to make costly working life adjustments to painful personal relationship adjustments. Fortunately, psychologists are able to deal with all of these aspects when supporting a client with the condition.
How Psychologists Can Help Long Covid Patients
Psychological input is a powerful tool, providing targeted assistance to anyone coping with the impact of long Covid, and the chance to develop a personal treatment approach. Talking therapy with a psychologist moves people forward with hope towards wellness.
Essentially, long Covid has the potential to alter an individual’s attribution system (their way of seeing the world). This condition can be seen as a psychological trauma in many cases, especially as so little is known about long Covid, meaning that scientific approaches are evolving all the time. Psychological therapy will deal with that trauma and the thought patterns the patient experiences.
It is vital that a person is helped to make meaningful adjustments that will still give them a positive self-view, despite the temporary limitations or uncertainly that they face due to long Covid. Every client’s situation will be different, but there are always psychological approaches that can improve their wellbeing. When thinking about the condition, we can also reflect on the kind of support we already offer to clients with other long-term health diagnoses, such as autoimmune conditions.
In practical terms, psychologists have a crucial role to play in assisting and empowering clients to address all areas of their life: specifically, the physical, emotional, and cognitive responses leading to a firm action plan, which will help those with long Covid move forward despite their current restrictions.
At Christine Tizzard Psychology and our sister organisation, Lighthouse Ireland, we currently offer support to organisations, and to clients from all walks of life. Our psychologists work with adults, children, and families. We also provide training to GPs in this area. Get in touch today and see how we could help you.
References
Shah W, Hillman T, Playford ED, et al. . Managing the long term effects of covid-19: summary of NICE, SIGN, and RCGP rapid guideline. BMJ. 2021;372:n136.
Stavem K, Ghanima W, Olsen MK, et al. 1.5-6 months after COVID-19 in non-hospitalised subjects: a population-based cohort study. Thorax. 2021;76(4):405.