People with untreated mental health conditions less likely to get COVID-19 vaccine, study finds

COVID-19 vaccination coverage is high among people with and without mental health conditions, according to a large multinational study led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and published in Nature CommunicationsHowever, Swedish registry data revealed that people with untreated mental health conditions have lower levels of vaccination.

The researchers analyzed data from seven studies conducted in five countries (Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Estonia and Scotland) as part of the COVIDMENT consortium, totaling just over 325,000 people, and data from the Swedish registry covering more than 8 million people.

The pooled analysis of the COVIDMENT cohort showed that 85% of people had received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine (by 30 September 2021). No statistically significant differences were observed in vaccination levels among people with or without a diagnosis of mental illness, or with or without symptoms of anxiety or depression.

“The high vaccination coverage among most people with mental illness shows that the COVID-19 vaccination campaign has been a success,” says lead author Mary Barker, a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institutet.

However, data from the Swedish registry found that people diagnosed with a mental illness and who did not have a prescription for their mental illness were 9% less likely to receive the first dose of the vaccine. Additionally, people with substance use disorders were 16% less likely to be vaccinated.

“Further research is needed to explore the reasons behind these associations in order to improve current and future vaccination strategies and ultimately ensure equitable protection against infectious diseases,” Barker says. “Given that people with mental health conditions are at higher risk of severe COVID-19 complications, high vaccination coverage is particularly important in this group.”