Any long haulers develop new onset of depression? What helps?

Hi @mdawn, this must be such a struggle to see your husband’s multiple complications with long Covid and now depression and mood swings. A few members have talked about the worsening of previously existing depression and new onset of depression with Covid in this related discussion:
- Dealing with Post Covid making depression worse, anyone else? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/dealing-with-post-covid

Melissa, are your husband’s mood swings and depression something new for him or did he have experience with depression before long haul covid?

Hi. Thank you for the link. His depression is definitely new, came on after covid.

Thanks for explaining, Melissa. I modified the title of this discussion to reflect that the depression is a new symptom as a result of long Covid, and invite other members to join in this discussion like @ineedanswers38 @covidsuffere and @teacherwife74

I have never been a smoker. No experience with Nicotine.

I had the first COVID in very early March 2020. I asked my PCP for a test to confirm but was told that since I could breathe no test could be spared for me. I was also told NOT to go to the ER since they were over-whelmed anyway and could not treat a person who was breathing properly. I believe March 2, 2020 is when my Stroke and brain damage occurred. I had a very low BP event, passed out in my easy chair. When I woke my fdirst home BP reult was 74/42.

I have now been diagnosed with a "Lacunar infarction of my right Putamen and right Basal Ganglia". The stroke has resulted in a permanent physical depression and cognitive imparemnet for which there is currently no treatment and obviously no cure with current medicine. I was hoping that my memory would improve over the last five years but I was made aware this year that it's getting worse. I was fired from my job as a Linux Admin/Engineer in August 2025 because I can no longer perform my duties due to my cognitive impairment. I have forty years experience in IT support. But I can no longer solve even simple IT issues. This compelled me to find out my true state of decline by seeking a brain scan to assess my cognitive state. I got the MRI in August 2025 but it was too late. My contract position had already been eliminated. I filed for SSA retirement and SSA disability. My disability claim has been unofficially approved but I won't get the letter until February 2026. Almost six years since my first COVID infection. COVID, even from the first strain, continues to destroy the lives of its victims and cause death.

I believe with each new infection, COVID and other flu infections, attacks my brain anew and inflicts further damage. Although I wore my masks as directed and got all the booster shots, I was still infected with newer COVID strains at least once more after 2020. I will try to preserve my brain, such as it is, and donate it to science for study of the effects of COVID. But I need treatment. I have been hoping that some kind of stem-cell therapy for new neuron growth would be developed to help patients like me recover damaged brain tissue in the basal ganglia and putamen or other brain tissue. There is an on-going study along these lines but I don't know how far along the path to real treatment the study is. It's not happening quickly enough for me.

I have had to retype this post four times and it's taken me hours to get it to this quality of statement. Correcting spelling errors, and trying to clearly state my experience as completely as I can. I hope it's readable and cleanly understandable. I have a tendency to invent new words now since I have trouble remembering words that might make more sense. It's 4:30 AM EST and I cannot get to sleep. I wish COVID had killed me in 2020. It would have been kinder.

Melissa, I can empathize - same thing with my husband. He was able to do a series of 6 ketamine trts this spring that helped immensely as he was very suicidal late last summer. I have also found that wellbutrin is helping me deal with his mood swings better. All of this is horrible and our largest challenge to date is getting help from our drs and within the U of WI medical system here near Madison. The primary response has been "wait and see" rather than do anything proactive so we have sought help elsewhere via friends who are medical professionals. The frustration factor is enormously stressful and the mood swings are horrible.
Sending my best, you aren't alone in this... Ellen

I have never been a smoker. No experience with Nicotine.

I had the first COVID in very early March 2020. I asked my PCP for a test to confirm but was told that since I could breathe no test could be spared for me. I was also told NOT to go to the ER since they were over-whelmed anyway and could not treat a person who was breathing properly. I believe March 2, 2020 is when my Stroke and brain damage occurred. I had a very low BP event, passed out in my easy chair. When I woke my fdirst home BP reult was 74/42.

I have now been diagnosed with a "Lacunar infarction of my right Putamen and right Basal Ganglia". The stroke has resulted in a permanent physical depression and cognitive imparemnet for which there is currently no treatment and obviously no cure with current medicine. I was hoping that my memory would improve over the last five years but I was made aware this year that it's getting worse. I was fired from my job as a Linux Admin/Engineer in August 2025 because I can no longer perform my duties due to my cognitive impairment. I have forty years experience in IT support. But I can no longer solve even simple IT issues. This compelled me to find out my true state of decline by seeking a brain scan to assess my cognitive state. I got the MRI in August 2025 but it was too late. My contract position had already been eliminated. I filed for SSA retirement and SSA disability. My disability claim has been unofficially approved but I won't get the letter until February 2026. Almost six years since my first COVID infection. COVID, even from the first strain, continues to destroy the lives of its victims and cause death.

I believe with each new infection, COVID and other flu infections, attacks my brain anew and inflicts further damage. Although I wore my masks as directed and got all the booster shots, I was still infected with newer COVID strains at least once more after 2020. I will try to preserve my brain, such as it is, and donate it to science for study of the effects of COVID. But I need treatment. I have been hoping that some kind of stem-cell therapy for new neuron growth would be developed to help patients like me recover damaged brain tissue in the basal ganglia and putamen or other brain tissue. There is an on-going study along these lines but I don't know how far along the path to real treatment the study is. It's not happening quickly enough for me.

I have had to retype this post four times and it's taken me hours to get it to this quality of statement. Correcting spelling errors, and trying to clearly state my experience as completely as I can. I hope it's readable and cleanly understandable. I have a tendency to invent new words now since I have trouble remembering words that might make more sense. It's 4:30 AM EST and I cannot get to sleep. I wish COVID had killed me in 2020. It would have been kinder.