Social distancing, isolation, stress, unemployment, and anxiety are just some of the invisible byproducts of the ongoing health pandemic. Researchers have found that cases of mental health disorders around the world have increased dramatically after the appearance of the coronavirus. Experts believe that had the pandemic not occurred, the world would have experienced approximately 75 million fewer cases of anxiety and 53 million fewer cases of major depressive disorder. The United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) report says that younger people are more susceptible to mental health problems than older people.
international news publication The Guardian quoted Dr. Damian Santomauro of the University of Queensland as saying, “We believe [that] it is because women are more likely to be affected by the social and economic consequences of the pandemic. Women are more likely to take on additional care and household responsibilities due to school closures or family member distress. Women also tend to have lower wages, less savings and less secure jobs than men, making them more likely to be financially disadvantaged during the pandemic.”
Nearly a third of children felt depressed
In the African country of Cameroon, almost a third of children felt that they felt depressed and had little interest in doing things. Similarly, one in five children in the UK and one in ten children in Ethiopia and Japan felt the same way. However, it should be noted that these findings do not denote set numbers, but rather provide insight into how children think in a particular way after the pandemic. The UN report it also highlighted that the lack of data and routine monitoring signified the importance of the mental health needs of young people and showed how countries need to pay attention.
It is estimated that around 13 per cent of children between the ages of 10 and 19 worldwide are living with an existing mental health disorder, of which 89 million were boys and 77 million were girls. UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said while the impact is significant, it is still just the tip of the iceberg. In addition, he added that even before the pandemic, many children suffered from mental health problems that had not been addressed. In 2022, when the pandemic enters its third year, the report revealed that a child died by suicide every 11 minutes.
More than 45,000 deaths of people aged 10 to 19
With more than 45,000 deaths, suicide is the fifth most common cause of death among people ages 10 to 19. Among youth ages 15 to 18, suicide was the fourth most common cause of death. Diagnosed mental health problems, such as anxiety, autism, bipolar disorder, ADHD, depression, eating disorders and schizophrenia, can significantly harm the health, education and future of children and youth, according to the report.
Untreated mental health problems lead to the downgrading of several emerging economies. Research from the London School of Economics reported that the economic price tag for this oversight is £387.2 billion. Despite various claims for mental health support, global spending on the same amount amounts to just 2.1 percent of total health spending. Governments spend less than a dollar per person per year on mental health in the world’s poorest countries. While the number of psychiatrists for the treatment of mental health conditions stands at 5.5%, the number of psychiatrists who specialize in the treatment of children stands at an alarming 0.1% per 100,000.
An international team of researchers reported for the lancet He said that between January 1, 2020 and January 29, 2021, daily mobility and the increase in the infection rate caused considerable stress to people. The experts used information from a set of global studies to create a model to identify the prevalence of mental health conditions in countries from before the pandemic to the present time and break it down by age, gender and global location. The study estimated 246 million cases of mental health disorders and more than 374 million patients worldwide. The figure increased 28 percent for the former and more than 26 percent for the latter.
At least two-thirds of additional cases of major depressive disorders and 68 percent of anxiety disorder cases were among women. The most significant number of patients were between 20 and 24 years old. The team said: “We estimate that the places most affected by the pandemic in 2020, measured by decreased human mobility and the daily rate of Sars-CoV-2 infection, had the largest increases in the prevalence of major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders”. Parts of Western Europe and the Middle East were among those regions.
Increased psychosis
England also reported an increase in the number of cases of psychosis in the last two years. The number of people reporting hallucinations and delusional thoughts amid the stress of the Covid-19 pandemic has shown a dramatic increase. Experts are concerned about the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic due to long-term mental health issues from previous pandemics and national emergencies. In 2003, the global SARS outbreak caused a 30% increase in suicides for people over 65 years of age.
The strategies adopted by various governments such as isolation and quarantine have had a negative impact on the mental health of the population and have caused symptoms of post-traumatic stress, depression and insomnia. Additionally, job losses and the global economic downturn have been associated with stable and declining mental health conditions. Psychologists believe that obsessive-compulsive disorder could be one of the lasting effects of the mental health pandemic.
Chronic loneliness caused by isolation at home and social distancing brought ‘a lack of meaning’ in people’s lives. Some people have unintentionally found themselves with fewer close connections in the age of social distancing and may have a hard time rebuilding their networks. On the other hand, many people voluntarily withdrew from their social circles to feel a sense of security in the face of the raging pandemic. Lastly, the stress of living with COVID-19 is likely to take a tremendous ongoing mental toll on those who have had miserable experiences in the past.
Also read: India’s Mega Projects: What Made Narendra Modi Stadium the World’s Largest Stadium?
.
