![]() ![]() It’s true that lockdowns have certainly caused some people’s mental health to deteriorate. This was accompanied by longer working hours, fewer days off and growing physical and mental exhaustion. When the pandemic hit, they had to cope not only with shortages of PPE and other materials, but with the fear for their own physical health and the risk of bringing the virus home to their families. Many healthcare workers were stressed already. If lockdowns had never been implemented, or lifted early, the inevitable increase in deaths would have led to more individuals being bereaved.įinally, there are the healthcare workers, particularly doctors and nurses working on Covid wards and intensive care units, who have reported increasing mental health problems in recent months. Some individuals experience prolonged or complicated grief, in which their distress is particularly severe and chronic. Bereavement increases the risk of mental health problems. For every Covid-19 death, researchers estimate that there are nine bereaved family members and friends. More infections would also have meant more deaths, and that would lead to more bereavement. If a person experiences fatigue, muscle pain and breathing problems over many months, with no idea whether these things will ever go away, it makes sense that they might start to experience mental health problems such as depression as a result. The “physical” symptoms of long Covid undoubtedly affect mental health too. Up to a third of all people hospitalised with Covid report subsequent symptoms of depression and anxiety. In the UK alone, an estimated million people have suffered from infection-related symptoms for many weeks or months. There are also direct consequences of the infection in the brain, such as neuroinflammation, which can trigger or exacerbate mental health problems. Some survivors experience life-threatening situations, such as being in a medically induced coma. The experience of being hospitalised, especially during a pandemic, can be traumatic. There is some evidence that this is also true for Covid, and there are many reasons why this happens. This includes increased rates of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress. We know from research into other virus epidemics, such as Ebola, that survivors of the virus usually have a higher rate of mental health problems than other people, both during and after the epidemic. If national lockdowns hadn’t been implemented, many more people would have been infected with the virus – which would mean many more people living with the mental health consequences of the disease.Ĭonsider the individuals who are infected with Covid-19 but survive. In fact, less-restrictive lockdown measures may have led to just as many mental health problems, and quite possibly more. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean lockdown was a bad idea, or that the sceptics are right. No doubt about it: greater freedom would have prevented a lot of psychological harm. Less time locked down at home would have meant more time out in the world, pursuing all the activities that bring people pleasure and meaning. Fewer restrictions would have meant more time for all of us to spend with loved ones – especially beneficial for vulnerable individuals such as elderly people left isolated in care homes. Open schools would have meant better educational opportunities and more time for young people to spend with their friends. The benefit of restrictions, the argument goes, is simply not worth the psychological cost.Īt first glance, less harsh measures over the last 16 months would obviously have been better for our collective mental health. Now, as England debates the final steps to freedom, the new health secretary, Sajid Javid, has cited mental health concerns as a reason why the country needs to open up. ![]() The mental health effects became fuel for lockdown sceptics around the world, including in the UK and the US. As lockdowns dragged on into this year, and some emergent data backed up the initial concerns, the clamour grew louder. When the first national lockdown was announced in March last year, there was an immediate concern from professionals and lay people alike: this is going to be terrible for people’s mental health. When the next pandemic inevitably arrives, we should remember what we learned from this one, argues an article co-authored by Dr Lucy Foulkes (UCL Psychology & Language Sciences). ![]()
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