Encephalitis Survivors Face Widespread Psychiatric Sequelae
A global meta-analysis of 101 studies including over 4,700 encephalitis survivors finds psychiatric and behavioral problems—most notably depression (~27%) and anxiety (~20–23%)—are as common as neurological deficits like memory loss or seizures and can persist months or years after recovery, regardless of infectious or autoimmune cause. The findings reveal a care gap with few standardized long-term mental-health follow-ups and call for routine neuropsychiatric screening and integration of mental-health services into standard post-encephalitis care.