The global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by 25% in the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a scientific brief released by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Concerns about potential increases in mental health conditions had already prompted 90% of countries surveyed to include psychosocial support in their Covid-19 response plans, but the WHO said major gaps and concerns remain.
“The information we have now about the impact of Covid-19 on the world’s mental health is just the tip of the iceberg,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
“This is a wake-up call to all countries to pay more attention to mental health and do a better job of supporting their populations’ mental health.”
One major explanation for the increase is the unprecedented stress caused by the social isolation resulting from the pandemic.
Loneliness, fear of infection, suffering and death for oneself and for loved ones, grief after bereavement and financial worries have also all been cited as factors leading to anxiety and depression.
“Among health workers, exhaustion has been a major trigger for suicidal thinking,” the report said.
Data suggest that people with pre-existing mental disorders do not appear to be disproportionately vulnerable to Covid-19 infection.
“Yet, when these people do become infected, they are more likely to suffer hospitalisation, severe illness and death compared with people without mental disorders,” the brief noted.
People with more severe mental disorders, such as psychoses, and young people with mental disorders, are particularly at risk.
- George Russell
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