Covid-19 has led to a sharp increase in depression and anxiety
According to research published Saturday in the scientific journal “The Lancet,” instances of depression and anxiety surged by more than a quarter globally in 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 epidemic.
This is the first research to examine the worldwide impact of the pandemic on depression and anxiety disorders in 204 nations and territories in 2020, breaking them down by age, gender, and geographic location.
Major depressive and anxiety disorders increased by 28% and 26%, respectively, in the previous year according to the research.
“This emphasizes the critical need to enhance health systems,” said Queensland Center for Mental Health Research lead author Damian Santomauro.
“Even before the pandemic, most nations’ mental health treatment systems were underfunded and uncontrolled. It will be tough to meet this extra criterion “Santomauro said.
According to the study, females were more affected than males, and young people were more affected than older groups, with “the countries most affected by the epidemic in the year 2020 witnessing the strongest increases in cases of mental disorders,” noting that “the countries most affected by the epidemic in the year 2020 witnessed the strongest increases in cases of mental disorders.”
“Many existing disparities and social factors of mental illness have been amplified by the COVID-19 epidemic,” research co-author Alize Ferrari stated. “Unfortunately, women have been more vulnerable to the social and economic effects of this epidemic for a variety of reasons.”
“School closures and broad limitations that hampered young people’s capacity to study and connect with their peers, in addition to rising unemployment threats have all contributed to increasing strain on young people’s mental health,” Ferrari said.
The authors of the research recognize that there was a dearth of accurate data on the epidemic’s impact on mental health in many regions of the world, particularly in low- and middle-income nations.
