Rare condition 'COVID psychosis' may have contributed to LA woman going missing

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A young San Fernando Valley woman went missing for two weeks and her family thinks it may have been related to a diagnosis of the rare mental condition known as COVID psychosis.

Family members say they are still trying to understand how and why 23-year-old Hadyne Wilson ended up at the emergency room at Cedars-Sinai.

She was last seen on a scooter leaving her Chatsworth job at a Vons on the evening of Sept. 29. Her dad says fellow employees reported Hadyne was acting unusual.

"Her co-workers said they noticed that she was a little off. She didn't complete tasks she usually completes," said Darren Wilson.

Surveillance footage offered few clues.

"I think the camera coverage ends when she gets to Mason Avenue. And instead of coming home, she headed north on Mason," said Darren Wilson.

He said his daughter does not have a history of mental health problems. But in January after testing positive for COVID, she was hospitalized and diagnosed with an extremely rare condition: COVID psychosis. Her symptoms included experiencing hallucinations, hearing voices and feeling paranoid.

"There were long periods of time that she couldn't account for," said Darren Wilson.

"COVID, like other viruses, can sometimes be associated with brain inflammation," said neurologist Dr. Charles Casassa with Loma Linda University Health. He says brain inflammation can cause a number of neurologic symptoms.

"Including confusion, seizures, or psychosis even. And we're still learning about the multiple ways that COVID can affect the body," Casassa said.

Now her parents wonder if Wilson got COVID again, which may have triggered more mental health issues. For now, a spokesman for the family says she is being evaluated and cared for at a facility in Rosemead.

As doctors try to determine what role COVID psychosis may have played, the family has set up a gofundme page to help with Wilson's medical expenses.

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