Mental Health Support

For older participants, in-person peer support appeared preferable to social media-based support. Distress was linked to persistent symptoms, disrupted identity, reduced capacity and difficulty adapting to changed roles. Long COVID had substantial psychological effects including low mood, emotional exhaustion, anxiety, depression, frustration, uncertainty and hopelessness. The proposed model needs structured mental health support for emotional, relational and identity-related consequences of long COVID. The service needs formal mental health support instead of relying on clinicians to provide informal counselling during routine appointments.