Cited by 100Viral Infections and Outbreaks ResearchCOVID-19 and Mental HealthPosttraumatic Stress Disorder Research

Depressive symptoms among survivors of Ebola virus disease in Conakry (Guinea): preliminary results of the PostEboGui cohort

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the PostEboGui Study Group, Keita, Mamady Mory, Taverne, Bernard, Sy Savané, Sékou, March, Laura, Doukoure, Morifodé, Sow, Mamadou Saliou, Touré, Abdoulaye +3 more·2017·BMC Psychiatry

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The 2013-2016 West African Ebola outbreak infected 28,616 people and caused 11,310 deaths by 11 May 2016, across six countries. The outbreak has also resulted in the largest number of EVD survivors in history-over 17,000. Guinea was declared Ebola-free on 1 June 2016. Reports from the outbreak documented 3814 cases resulting in 2544 deaths and 1270 survivors. EVD survivors face various neuropsychological and psycho-affective alterations that have not been fully identified yet. This study aims to document the depressive symptoms among adult survivors in Guinea. METHODS: Depressive symptoms were investigated using the French version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) administered to all adult survivors (≥ 20 years) participating in the PostEboGui study and receiving care in Conakry. The study was combined with a clinical consultation by a psychiatrist at the Donka National Hospital in Conakry that ensured adapted care was provided when needed. RESULTS: Overall, 256 adult participants receiving care in Conakry participated in this study: 55% were women, median age 31 years [IQR: 26-40]. The median time since the Ebola Treatment Center (ETC) discharge was 8.1 months [IQR: 4.1-11.7]. 15% had a score above the threshold values indicating psychological suffering (15% for men and 14% for women). 33 people (16 women and 17 men) met with the psychiatrist, which resulted in the diagnosis of 3 cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 3 cases of mild depression, 13 cases of moderate depression, and 11 cases of severe depression, including 1 with kinesthetic hallucinations and another with visual hallucinations, and 1 with suicidal ideation and 3 with attempted suicide. Severe depression was diagnosed between 1 and 19 months after ETC discharge. The various identified forms of depression responded favorably to conventional drug therapies and cognitive behavioral therapy. CONCLUSION: Long-term follow-up for EVD survivors will be necessary to understand the evolution of these pathologies. In the current post-epidemic context, these cases underscore the need to strengthen mental health diagnostic systems and treatment on a national scale.

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  • In prior SARS, MERS, and Ebola outbreaks, about half of survivors had at least one of the psychiatric conditions reviewed here.

    “Past epidemics caused by SARS, MERS, or ebola have demonstrated that half of the survivors suffered from at least one of the psychiatric conditions examined in this review (Chua et al., 2004; Keita et al., 2017).”

    From Long-term effects of COVID-19 on mental health: a systematic review (2022) · cites this paper as Keita et al., 2017

  • Even allowing for over-sensitive diagnosis, anxiety was less common than in SARS, MERS, and Ebola outbreaks and than in short-term symptom studies.

    “Even when disregarding the potential for over-sensitivity of diagnosis in the included studies, the overall prevalence for anxiety was lower compared with SARS, MERS, and ebola epidemics (Chua et al., 2004; Keita et al., 2017; Jeong et al., 2016) than studies that looked at short-term symptoms (Krishnamoorthy et al., 2020).”

    From Long-term effects of COVID-19 on mental health: a systematic review (2022) · cites this paper as Keita et al., 2017

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. [12]Langevin V, François M, Boini S, Riou A. Center for Epidemiologic Studies - Depression Scale (CES-D). Risques psychosociaux: outils d’évaluation. DMT. 2011;127:475–80.

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Authors
the PostEboGui Study Group, Keita, M. M., Taverne, B., Sy Savané, S., March, L., Doukoure, M., Sow, M. S., Touré, A., Etard, J. F., Barry, M., & Delaporte, E.
Affiliations
  • Donka Hospital (GN)
  • Inserm (FR)
Corresponding author
Taverne, Bernard
Venue
BMC Psychiatry
Published
2017-04-04
Volume
17
Issue
1
Pages
127-127
ISSN
1471-244X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2604563695
Cited by
100
References
19
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 23 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 1
FWCI
7.37
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • BMC Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • HAL (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • Interministerial French Ebola Task Force
  • Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)
  • Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
Keywords
depressive symptoms, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, mental health services, suicide, hallucinations, cognitive behavioral therapy, long-term follow-up, Conakry
MeSH terms
Adult, Depression, Female, Humans, Male, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Guinea, Survivors, Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola

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