Malaise, fatigue… mental health is one of the big victims of the Covid pandemic, with a jump of more than 25% in cases of anxiety and depression worldwide, the WHO said on Wednesday.
In a new brief on the subject, the World Health Organization also indicates that the health crisis has in many cases significantly impeded access to mental health services and raised concerns about the increase in suicidal behavior.
🆕 #COVID19 pandemic triggers 25% increase in prevalence of anxiety & depression worldwide: New WHO publication
More: https://t.co/QFiH7j312f#MentalHealth
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— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 2, 2022
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Women and young people most affected
This document, which is based on numerous studies, shows that in 2020, cases of major depressive disorders and anxiety disorders increased by 27.6% and 25.6% respectively worldwide.
This is "a very significant increase", said Brandon Gray, of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Use at WHO, which coordinated the brief.
"Covid-19 has had a big impact on people's mental health and well-being," he told AFP.
Logically enough, the countries hardest hit by the pandemic in 2020 saw the largest increases in the prevalence of the disorders.
Women were more affected than men, and younger people, especially 20-24 year olds, were more affected than older age groups.
Data on suicides do not show a clear trend, with increases in some countries and decreases in others.
Mr. Gray, however, stressed that this should not mean that suicidal behavior was not a concern, and explained that there was often a delay between data collection and analysis.
A higher risk of suicidal behavior since the pandemic
The brief shows that there is a higher risk of suicidal behaviors, including suicide attempts and instances of self-harm, among young people since the pandemic.
The loneliness and exhaustion of healthcare personnel also increase the risk of suicidal thoughts.
And people with mental disorders are more at risk of developing a severe form of Covid or of dying from it.
Perhaps because, says Gray, these people have higher rates of smoking, substance abuse and obesity.
The brief also shows that outpatient mental health services were largely disrupted in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Some of these services have been offered online, which is problematic for people with limited internet access or little technological knowledge.
For Mr. Gray, the difficulties faced in responding to mental health problems during the pandemic are largely the result of decades of “underinvestment”.
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