Extracts below and a comment from me. Read online: https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022-covid-19-pandemic-triggers-25-i...
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Wake-up call to all countries to step up mental health services and support
2 March 2022
In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25%, according to a scientific brief released by the World Health Organization (WHO) today. The brief also highlights who has been most affected and summarizes the effect of the pandemic on the availability of mental health services and how this has changed during the pandemic...
“The information we have now about the impact of COVID-19 on the world’s mental health is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “This is a wake-up call to all countries to pay more attention to mental health and do a better job of supporting their populations’ mental health.”
One major explanation for the increase is the unprecedented stress caused by the social isolation resulting from the pandemic. Linked to this were constraints on people’s ability to work, seek support from loved ones and engage in their communities... Young people and women worst hit...
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COMMENT: The brief is available here: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-2019-nCoV-Sci-Brief-Mental-h... It does not mention the potential role of misinformation in contributing to stress and mental health issues. 'According to research, social media and the dissemination of disinformation are linked to mental health issues, such as fake news causing worry, panic, and paranoia.' [ https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/media-mental-health-the-need-for-m... ] I would be interested to hear about any research that links misinformation with mental health issues. It seems the inability to differentiate reliable health information from misinformation is a significant contributor to stress and anxiety.
Neil Pakenham-Walsh, HIFA Coordinator, neil@hifa.org www.hifa.org
