Brain Infection and Neuroinflammation in ME/CFS and Post-COVID Encephalitis: A Case-Based Perspective
It ultimately comes down to the brain—what it was, and what it is now. I recently revisited personal writings from thirty years ago, when I was prescribed SSRIs in 1993 for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and compared them with work produced during a prolonged illness with COVID-19 in 2021, which was complicated by encephalitis. With the recent improvement in brain function—likely due to reduced inflammation—the contrast is striking. While taking SSRIs, my cognitive processing seemed trapped in an emotional loop. At the time, I was unaware that my writing had shifted heavily toward narrative expression, while logical reasoning and problem-solving were noticeably impaired. Frequent switching between the two languages I speak often led to grammatical inconsistencies and frequent spelling errors. This phase of unrecognized cognitive symptoms left me reliant on treatments that ultimately proved ineffective. Remarkably, the abrupt discontinuation of SSRIs in 2000 was associated wi...