The pandemic is hampering the mental illness of young people

The public health authority continuously monitors mental health during the pandemic.

Several international studies compiled by the Swedish Public Health Agency in a report show that mental illness has increased both in Sweden and abroad.

- At the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, no clear signs of increased mental illness were seen among the population as a whole, but if you compare November with May, a higher proportion report mental disorders in November, says Grethe Fochsen, investigator at the Swedish Public Health Agency.

Young people are particularly vulnerable

The mental disorders during the pandemic seem to differ in different groups.

One of the groups that has recently stood out is young adults.

The Swedish Public Health Agency's Grethe Fochsen also wants to highlight students as particularly vulnerable.

They live in a time of change such as moving and making new friends.

- It is a group that usually has a higher incidence of mental disorders compared to peers and the rest of the population.

During the pandemic, their mental health has deteriorated further, says Grethe Fochsen.

Restrictions also affect young people

In addition to the studies included in the Public Health Agency's compilation, there are also several smaller international studies and a slightly larger Swedish study in the field.

Although there are uncertainties in many of the studies, they also indicate that young people seem to feel worse mentally than other groups in society during the pandemic.

The Swedish study is published in the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science and was led by Karin Brocki, professor of emotional psychology at Uppsala University.

The researchers have mapped the levels of mental illness before and during the pandemic with the help of a survey.

More than 1000 people responded and the results show that the most vulnerable group were young adults between 18 and 30 years.

It should be noted, however, that 73 percent of the respondents were women, which has been consistent in several studies. 

- We saw in our results that it was the youngest between 20 and 30 years who seemed to feel the worst, it was a surprising result for us because it is the oldest who have had the toughest restrictions and generally have more physical difficulties, says Karin Brocki.

Plans for the future are put on hold

A small study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that in June, more than 60 percent of the 18-24 age group were depressed or anxious.

In June 2020, a quarter had considered suicide in recent months.

The increase in depression took place in connection with the introduction of restrictions in the form of closed schools, social distance and staying at home.

- It's probably not just about restrictions.

The young people are planning their future.

Young people who do not have an established existence, no job, no family of their own and are more dependent on their friends are more vulnerable, says Karin Brocki.

At the same time, Jonathan Cedernaes, a sleep researcher at Uppsala University and Northwestern University, Chicago, believes that there may be more explanations for the results of the study, which is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

- The results are from before the pandemic and during the spring of 2020. It was in the beginning of the pandemic and a lot happened then, but it is still an indication of something that more people are now coming to, that young people are hit harder during the pandemic, he says.

See more about how the pandemic affects society in the World of Science - The Corona Fight's prize, Monday 1 March at 20.00 on SVT2 or on SVT Play from 28 February.