Covid-19 and long covid highlight the need to tackle behavioural health challenges

Greenhalgh and colleagues’ Practice Pointer1 and the Opinion article from Long Covid SOS2 serve as a reminder that “there is no health without mental health.”3Behavioural health conditions—including mental health conditions and substance use disorders, which often co-occur—have been among the most visible and widespread of covid-19’s effects. Throughout the pandemic, patients with behavioural health conditions were among those facing heightened risks of adverse outcomes relative to the general population.45 Covid-19 has exacerbated barriers for those whose behavioural health conditions preceded the pandemic, and confronted individuals and communities with challenges that have likely contributed to increased incidence of these conditions.678Supporting those with new or exacerbated behavioural health conditions is an essential element of efforts to help patients with long term impacts of covid-19. Greenhalgh and colleagues specifically note “mental health and wellbeing” as a key component of primary care in assessing and treating patients with long covid. Screening for and identifying…
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