COVID-19 Vaccines Linked to Increased Risk of Depression, Anxiety, Study Finds

A Nature study found that COVID-19 vaccines are associated with a 68.3% increased risk of depression, 43.9% risk of anxiety disorders, and a 93.4% increased risk of sleep disorders while being associated with lower rates of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The authors stated, “Our study suggests that neuroinflammation caused by spike proteins may contribute to occurrences of some psychiatric adverse events (AEs) such as depression and anxiety, dissociative, stress-related, and somatoform disorders.”

A Gallup poll in 2023 found the highest rates of depression since they started conducting the poll in 2015. 29% of Americans have had depression at some point in their lifetime, which is up from 22.9% in 2020. 17.8% of respondents currently had depression in 2023 compared to 13.8% in 2020.

The study’s authors concluded, “Special cautions are necessary for administering additional COVID-19 vaccinations to populations vulnerable to psychiatric AEs.” The study analyzed 1,718,999 vaccinated individuals in Seoul, South Korea, and 308,354 individuals who did not receive the vaccine.

The authors note that there is an association between the COVID-19 virus and mental illness with 22% of people experiencing adverse effects within six months of infection. The most common AEs experienced were depression/anxiety, psychotic disorder, and cognitive impairment, also referred to as “brain fog.”

The authors further warned of neurological and psychiatric disorders associated with the COVID-19 infection and/or vaccination. The authors state, “With the increasing evidence of extrapulmonary manifestations including neurological and psychiatric symptoms, COVID-19 infection as well as vaccination may affect the central and peripheral nervous system with profound cellular and molecular mechanisms [6, 38, 39]. The spike protein, especially brain-infiltrating SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, has been suggested as an important target for the development of neurological and psychiatric disorders.”

The authors mention several limitations to the study, including potential errors regarding “mismatching or misclassification.” The authors said they could not account for the potential factor that links poverty to mental illness. The study also did not include anyone below 20 years old.

Research from the University of Michigan found that SSRI prescriptions for depression and anxiety have been steadily rising. This trend started years before the pandemic and increased during pandemic lockdowns. After the onset of the pandemic, prescriptions for adolescents and young adults increased by 63%.

In April, Jeffrey Jaxen reported for The HighWire about a push to make SSRIs available over the counter. Jaxen also discussed a study that shows elevated risk of congenital heart disease and cardiovascular disease and causes mortality for long-term users of SSRIs. 20% of college students reported using antidepressants regularly during the 2022-2023 school year.

The association between the COVID-19 vaccines and depression is concerning as it may also increase the number of SSRI prescriptions for people in all age groups.

The HighWire recently reported on an investigation by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. The report concluded that tax-payer money was used to fund a marketing campaign for the COVID-19 vaccines and included claims that were not backed by science.

The report also pointed out that the United States is an outlier on the world stage for recommending COVID-19 vaccines to all age groups over six months. The U.K. stopped giving the vaccines to individuals under the age of 65 unless they are considered high risk. In September, the FDA approved new formulations of the COVID-19 vaccines under the emergency use authorization protocol. It has been 19 months since President Joe Biden signed a congressional resolution to end the national emergency associated with COVID-19.

In May of 2023, President Biden ended the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for health care workers. According to a new CDC study, the number of healthcare workers getting the updated vaccine has decreased, with only 15.3% of hospital workers and 10.5% of nursing home workers up to date with CDC recommendations. The CDC report states, “a recent survey of health care personnel indicated that, although personnel believe that COVID-19 is a serious health threat, they have low confidence in the effectiveness, safety, and benefit of COVID-19 vaccination.”

This week also saw a major victory for an insurance worker in Michigan, who will be paid over $12 million after being fired by Blue Cross Blue Shield for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

A case against AstraZeneca pertaining to injuries sustained following a COVID-19 vaccination can move forward after the judge denies Astra Zeneca’s motion to dismiss. ICAN lead counsel Aaron Siri brought the case on behalf of Utah mother Brianne Dressen. 

AstraZeneca claimed that Dressen’s suit is barred under provisions of the PREP Act, but the judge ruled that the PREP Act immunity does not extend to breach of contract claims. Dressen appeared on The HighWire in May.