New research finds that people with COVID-like symptoms returned to optimal physical well-being an average of three months after infection, but took up to nine months to return to top mental well-being. Even one year after infection about 20% of study participants continued to experience overall suboptimal health-related quality of life (HRQoL).
The study, to be published June 10 in the peer-reviewed Open Forum Infectious Diseases, compared people who sought treatment for COVID-like symptoms, 75% of whom tested positive for the virus and the rest testing negative. The COVID-positive participants were statistically likelier to return to optimal health-related quality-of-life than their COVID-negative counterparts across up to a year post-infection, said Lauren Wisk, an assistant professor of medicine in the division of general internal medicine and health services research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the study’s co-lead author. This suggests that health authorities may have previously underestimated the long-term effects of other, non-COVID infections on one’s well-being.
A new study reveals that while COVID-like symptoms often resolve within three months, mental health recovery can lag significantly—taking up to nine months or longer. Approximately 20% of individuals reported suboptimal overall well-being even a year later. Although those who tested positive for COVID tended to recover more robustly than those with similar illnesses, the findings highlight how long-term mental health issues like anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, and cognitive impairment persist well beyond physical symptoms.
These revelations underscore the importance of integrating mental health care into post-COVID recovery protocols. Research suggests healthcare providers should routinely assess not only physical function but also psychological well-being for many months after illness to ensure comprehensive rehabilitation . This approach can help identify individuals at risk of prolonged distress and facilitate early interventions, such as counseling, peer support, and stress-management strategies.
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