The staggering toll the pandemic has taken on mental health

Getty Images

Via a new report from the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy -

Mental health worsened amid pandemic, especially in women, young adults

An estimated 53.2 million additional cases of major depressive disorder and 76.2 million additional cases of anxiety disorders occurred during the pandemic, with women and young people most affected, according to a study published late last week in The Lancet.

The researchers used a systematic literature review to find 48 eligible data sources, 46 involving major depressive disorder and 27 involving anxiety disorders. The studies, which were conducted from Jan 1, 2020, to Jan 29, 2021, were used to extrapolate global data using the Global Burden of Disease Study Model; most were from Western Europe (22) and high-income North America (14).

The pandemic was linked to an additional 53.2 million cases of major depressive disorder (a 27.6% increase) and an additional 76.2 million cases of anxiety disorders (a 25.6% increase). The countries with the most COVID-19 cases and the least population movement (eg, because of lockdowns) saw the greatest increases.

Women saw greater increases than men (29.8% vs 24.0% increase for depression, 27.9% vs 21.7% increase for anxiety). Also, young people ages 20 to 24 had the highest increased prevalence, which then declined with age. According to a Lancet press release, this age group saw 1,118 additional depression cases per 100,000 people for depression and 1,331 additional anxiety cases per 100,000 people.

"The study also has a few key limitations, largely resulting from the available data rather than the approach used to analyse them," write Maxime Taquet, PhD, BM BCh, and others in a related commentary, noting the uncertainties of extrapolated and self-reported data, as well as the study's inability to identify the reason for these outcomes.

"Aid programmes aimed at improving population mental health are clearly needed widely, and this study is unable to suggest specific countries to be targeted first. Measurement of clinical diagnoses will be needed to plan service provision, ascertain the burden of the pandemic in terms of mental disorders, and forecast social and economic consequences. Crucially, identifying causal mechanisms, and modifiable mechanisms in particular, will be important to design and deliver the right interventions to the right people." (Read more)

Copyright 2021, Sunking278. Stay up-to-date: Twitter – @Sunking278 and Facebook – click here.