If You Have A Mood Disorder, You May Now Be Eligible For A COVID Booster

PeopleImages via Getty Images Adults who have depression or a schizophrenia spectrum disorder are now eligible for a Pfizer booster shot. Why mental health is a risk factor for severe COVID For months, experts have implored the CDC to include certain mental health disorders on its list of underlying conditions. In a September letter to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, which was shared with HuffPost, some of the nation’s top mental health organizations called the exclusion “simply unacceptable.” “Officially designating mental illnesses that have been confirmed by research to carry a unique mortality risk during the pandemic for prioritization by the CDC is the only scientifically and morally defensible action to take,” said the group, which included Mental Health America and the American Psychiatric Association. An important change that has been a long time coming Mental health groups say the CDC’s decision to include certain mood disorders and schizophrenia to its list of underlying conditions is both welcome and overdue. “Mental health is health, and we applaud the CDC for recognizing that, and following the research, in this list of underlying conditions.” - Schroeder Stribling, president and CEO of Mental Health America Schools, employers, and state and local governments look to the CDC for guidance on how people in high-risk groups can best protect themselves — so including this new group of people on the list has important practical implications.