>>12962119It's real, but the cause is unknown. Thoughts:
Given that the biggest problems are anxiety/depression/substance abuse, part of it is probably the cultural effect of catching covid: there is a fear of the unknown that comes with it, the anxiety of knowing you have/caught the disease from the pandemic. Even if you think it's no big deal, on a subconscious level you are stressed by it.
There is another very real part worth mentioning, however.
The fact that covid impairs your sense of smell is very alarming. It's fairly unique to covid- and to me, that suggests it affects the olfactory bulbs somehow, and that is a literal direct-bypass-shortcut to the brain. It's how brain-eating amoebas get into your brain and bypass the BBB.
It's a longshot, but if it is infecting olfactory neurons, there is a real chance it could spread to the brain and do some damage there. The other thought of it being inflammation related is also possible, or a combination.
When I got my second dose, the most unique effect was my brain inflammation was fairly high compared to any other symptoms (or at least it sure as hell felt like it). I Imagine the same response, but worse since covid would be an infection my immune system would have to fight off instead of just non-replication pieces, would have fucked my brain over.
