Background: Severe respiratory failure patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) sometimes do not receive post intensive care syndrome prevention bundles. No detailed report has been published on the practical observations of mental impairments in these patients. Case presentation: A 33-year-old man was admitted with COVID-19 pneumonia. On day 6, he was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Considering the risk of nosocomial infection, as per the hospital policy, early rehabilitation could not be initiated for COVID-19 patients at that the time and family visits were not allowed. Thereafter, his respiratory condition gradually improved; he was discharged on day 19. Then, when the ICU nurse called to assess his medical condition, the patient complained insomnia after ICU discharge. Therefore, we called him for an outpatient visit 28 days after discharge and scored his mental health status. Conclusion: Careful follow-up is required to treat mental impairment in patients with COVID-19.