Illinois Woman Raises Awareness About ‘COVID Psychosis’ After Husband’s Death

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255

COVID-19 has caused many to feel increased anxiety, depression and trauma from the past year. For a small number of others though, it’s the diagnosis of COVID-19 itself that causes these mental health issues — often for the first time in a patient’s life. This rare form of psychosis, known as 'COVID Psychosis,' is linked to the virus’s effect on the brain, even after patients have recovered physically. 

The 21st spoke with psychiatrists and Jennifer Price, a Morris, Illinois woman who believes her husband took his own life after the virus itself spurred a mental health crisis.

Guests:

Jennifer Price, Lost husband Ben to COVID-19 Psychosis 

Danesh Alam, MD, Psychiatrist and medical director of behavioral health at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital  

Mason Chacko, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at Stony Brook University Hospital

Prepared for web by Zainab Qureshi

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