The United Kingdom’s leading psychiatrist said the coronavirus pandemic will be the “biggest hit to mental health” the country has faced since World War II.
“This is going to have a profound effect on mental health,” said Dr. Adrian James, the president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. “It is probably the biggest hit to mental health since the second world war. It doesn’t stop when the virus is under control and there are few people in hospital. You’ve got to fund the long-term consequences.”
Among the mental health issues that must be addressed include the consequences of social isolation, the economic impact of lockdowns, and the impacts of the disease itself. James said he believes 10 million people, including 1.5 million children, will require mental health services as a direct result of the pandemic.
James said a return to normalcy for many people will take time despite the rollout of vaccines.
“It’s very easy to think that when it’s safe to do so, we’ll all be out and about again straight away, but I think it’s going to take a while to get people used to that. The people most likely to suffer are older adults who have got used to self-isolating,” James said.
James added that it will take more than just government action to mitigate the mental health crisis, calling on volunteer and charity groups to assist in the effort.
“We’ll need to support the voluntary sector, the charities, that help them get out of the house to socialize and engage in meaningful activities. We know that when you get older, if you lose your connections for a bit, you can give up on them,” James said.
The mental health implications of the pandemic have also been felt in the United States, where a survey found that 53% of adults had reported negative mental health impacts from the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. Social isolation and economic concerns were among the largest reasons people reported mental anxiety, the researchers found.
A study published last month found that children are especially at increased risk for mental health issues as a result of the pandemic, facing both short-term and long-term repercussions that will need to be addressed by mental health professionals.
“There is a pressing need for planning longitudinal and developmental studies, and implementing evidence based elaborative plan of action to cater to the psycho social and mental health needs of the vulnerable children and adolescents during pandemic as well as post pandemic,” the study’s authors concluded. “There is a need to ameliorate children and adolescents’ access to mental health support services geared towards providing measures for developing healthy coping mechanisms during the current crisis.”
