Covid-19 Anxiety Syndrome

A separate study, conducted in the summer of 2021, found that a fifth of participants continued to suffer from what the researchers called “Covid-19 Anxiety Syndrome” – a heightened state of worry, excessive symptom checking and avoidance of public spaces due to fears about contamination.

A diagnosis of anxiety is usually made by a GP, based on a patient’s symptoms and how long they’ve had them. In the case of GAD, diagnostic criteria include at least six months of excessive worry about everyday issues that is disproportionate to any inherent risk and causes distress to everyday life.