People with unmedicated mental illness are less likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19, finds study

Vaccination coverage for COVID-19 is high in both people with and without mental illness, according to a large multinational study led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and published in Nature Communications. However, Swedish registry data revealed that individuals with unmedicated mental illness have lower vaccination levels.

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

The pooled analysis from the COVIDMENT cohort showed that 85% of individuals were vaccinated with the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine (before September 30, 2021). There was no statistically significant difference in vaccination levels in people with or without a mental illness diagnosis, or with or without anxiety or depressive symptoms.

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

However, Swedish registry data revealed that individuals diagnosed with a mental illness who did not have any dispensed prescription of medication for their mental illness were 9% less likely to receive the first dose of the vaccine. Moreover, individuals with substance-use disorder were 16% less likely to be vaccinated.

“More 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,” says Barker. “As individuals with mental illness are at higher risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes, high vaccination coverage is especially important in this group.”