COVID has taken severe mental health toll: WHO
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According to the study, there was a 25.6 % increase in cases of anxiety disorders worldwide during the first year of the pandemic.
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WHO says COVID-19 has taken a severe mental health toll
The COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on mental health, according to the WHO, which reported that incidences of anxiety and depression surged by more than 25% globally.
The World Health Organization also reported in a new scientific brief that the COVID-19 pandemic has hampered access to mental health services in many situations and prompted worries about an increase in suicidal tendencies.
According to the brief, the world underwent a 27.6% increase in cases of severe depressive illness in 2020 alone, based on an umbrella assessment of a large number of publications.
According to the study, there has been a 25.6% increase in cases of anxiety disorders worldwide during the pandemic's first year.
WHO Mental Health and Substance use Department chief Brandon Gray, who supervised the scientific brief, said, In terms of size, this was a sizeable increase.
It demonstrates that COVID-19 has had a major influence on people's mental health and wellbeing, he told AFP.
According to the study, the highest increases were reported in areas highly affected by the virus in terms of high daily infection rates and reduced mobility due to limitations.
Younger persons, notably those between the ages of 20 and 24, were more affected than older adults, while women and girls were more affected than boys.
