They have been tough months , of panic and fear, social restrictions, lockouts, school closures, commercial and sporting activities, loss of livelihood, economic crisis, immediate advances and legislative behind-the-scenes, suffocating masks, unbearable queues outside supermarkets, various and possible gloves and amuchine, yet , slowly and with many hitches, we are doing it! Yes , but at what cost
Covid-19 and mental health
Always remembering those who didn’t make it and ignoring the obvious consequences related to the global economy, we must evaluate , in addition to the direct damage of the sometimes long-lasting viral infection, also a less known but equally important aspect:the impact of Covid-19 on mental health.
Let us therefore try to understand if and how the pandemic has contributed to the increase or exacerbation of anxiety and depression disorders in the population .
Before and after Covid-19: the consequences of the pandemic on depressive and anxiety disorders
Already before 2020, the year of the onset of Covid-19 , mental disorders, in particular depressive and anxiety disorders, were included in the top 25 causes of disease and disabilities in the world ¹.
The worldwide spread of Covid-19it has determined, in addition to the direct effects on health that we sadly know, a socio-environmental situation in which many factors, which have always influenced mental health, have been exasperated.
Quarantines, restrictions on individual liberties and the closure of schools and work activities, in an attempt to contain the devastating effects of the infection with the serious consequences on the socio-economic conditions of a large part of the population, are all factors that can significantly affect mental health , not only of those already affected, but also of those who have never suffered from anxiety and depression.
A very recent study that appeared in the prestigious Lancet² magazine has set itself the objective ofevaluation of the consequences of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in terms of the global spread of anxiety and depression . By comparing the epidemiological data published between 1 January 2020 and 29 January 2021, after the advent of COVID-19, with those pre-COVID-19 (from 1980 to 2019), the researchers studied the actual increase in cases of depressive and anxiety disorders linked to the pandemic in 204 countries around the world, spread over all continents, obviously including Italy.
To learn more: How to recognize anxiety disorders
Quantify the impact of Covid-19 on anxiety and depression disorders: an in-depth study
Overall, as a consequence of the pandemic, an increase of 28% was recorded in 2020(53 million more cases than in previous years!) of major depressive disorder . Likewise, anxiety disorders increased by 26% globally (+76 million compared to pre-COVID-19 years). Italy, unfortunately, showed similar increases in both depression and anxiety disorders.
As expected, the areas of the world most affected by COVID-19 had the greatest increase in mental disorders .
Women and young people paid the highest price
Compared to men, women showed a greater increaseboth depressive disorders (30% versus 24% of men) and anxiety disorders (28% versus 22% of men). This result is partly attributable to the disparities between the two sexes still present in society, whereby women are more likely to be affected by the social and economic consequences of the pandemic:
- The responsibility for managing the family burden falls above all on women , in particular for sick elderly people and children, further accentuated by the closure of schools during the pandemic.
- Women are more likely to be financially disadvantaged during the pandemic, due to lower wages and less protected jobs than their male counterparts.
- The obligation to stay at home and the social isolation associated with quarantine make women more vulnerable to episodes, often already present, of domestic violence .
It is obvious that all these factors can be associated with the onset of depressive or anxiety disorders or their worsening, if already present.
Similarly, the study showed that even the youngest age groups , especially those between 14 and 30 years, were most affected by the effects of Covid-19 .
The closure of schools, the limitation of sporting activities and social restrictions in general, imposed by the pandemic emergency, have reduced, if not canceled, the possibility for young people to gather in physical spaces.
This has definitely influenced socialization and, consequently, the exchange of views and learning , elementsat the basis of a natural and correct development of the personality , especially during childhood and adolescence. A figure confirming how worrying the situation for young people is comes from UNESCO, which declared that the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic represented the greatest impediment to global education in history , and estimated at 1.6 billion students from over 190 countries who, in 2020, were completely or partially deprived of school attendance³.
The consequences will be felt in the years to come in terms of the increased probability of youth unemployment and underemployment, elements that can only increase the frustration and the spread of depressive and anxiety disorders in the young.
We have seen how, even before the pandemic, mental disorders represented a serious problem at a global health level, also due to the fact that in many countries the structures for the protection and care of mental health are often neglected and poorly developed, despite there are effective tools for both prevention and treatment.
In addition to these pre-existing impediments, from 2020 the limitations imposed by the pandemic have been added, which have made access to healthcare facilities more difficult , if not impossible in some cases ., including mental health centers, and the ability to receive adequate care and treatment in the face of the resurgence of depression and anxiety.
The situation is gradually normalizing, but it will certainly be complicated, in the near future, to be able to meet the growing demand for services dedicated to the pandemic of mental distress generated by COVID-19 .
In the Lancet² article, therefore, the urgency for governments and regulatory authorities to find valid strategies to strengthen dedicated health structures is outlined. to mental health. It is necessary to activate adequate resources to prepare measures that improve and simplify access to dedicated services, especially for the most fragile categories and the most vulnerable groups of the population, also through the use of telemedicine and online services .
And it is absolutely essential, especially in less developed countries, an information campaign to reduce the stigma (The psychiatrist and the mad doctor
) that still accompanies mental disorders and that keeps too many depressed and anxious people away from seeking valid help and effective therapies that could change their life.
Bibliography
- GBD 2019 Disease and Injuries Collaborators. Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet 2020; 396: 1204–22.
- Global prevalence and burden of depressive and anxiety disorders in 204 countries and territories in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 Mental Disorders Collaborators. Lancet 2021 Nov 6;398(10312):1700-1712.
- UNESCO. Education: from disruption to recovery. UNESCO, 2021. https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse#:~:text=One%20 year%20into%20the%20COVID,result%20of %20the%20health%20 crisis.