Depression and Its link with COVID 19
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, reports of a tax on global mental health are increasingly reported. This toll has been linked to acute and long-term effects of infection (the latter variably described as long-COVID, long-haul COVID and post-acute COVID). Additionally, worsened mental health has been associated with the detrimental effects of policies designed to limit viral spread. One way these seemingly disparate events connect to similar outcomes may be the link between the immune system and mental health. This may be especially important as it relates to depression, as summarized in a recent review article called "Immunological Interfaces: The COVID-19 Pandemic and Depression ." Long before COVID-19 sunk its teeth into our collective wellbeing, depression was already an international concern affecting upward of 300 million people. And while depression is a psychological state, it’s well understood to have biological underpinnings. There are several molecular pathway