The WHO publishes a report on the consequences that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on mental health and attention to mental health services

Researchers from the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) and CIBERSAM collaborate on the WHO report on the consequences that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on mental health. Mental health services have been the most disrupted and affected of all essential health services in the majority of WHO member states analysed.

The World Health Organization has published - on March 2 - a scientific report in which it shows the findings known so far on the consequences that COVID-19 has had on mental health and on the availability and access to health services mind during the pandemic. The report has been made through an exhaustive compilation of the information collected in systematic reviews and meta-analyses published so far in the scientific literature.

This report has been developed by a team of researchers led by Professor Marit Sijbrandij of the Vrije University of Amsterdam, in which, among others, Professor Corrado Barbui (University of Verona, Italy), Dr. María Melchior of the National Institute of Health and Medical Research of France, and Professor José Luis Ayuso Mateos and Dr. María Cabello from the Department of Psychiatry of the Autonomous University of Madrid and CIBERSAM researchers.

The report highlights, among others, that during the first year of the pandemic there has been a significant increase in depression and anxiety problems. Just as mental health services have been the most interrupted and affected of all essential health services in most of the WHO member states analyzed.

Mental problems have increased

One of the main results is that an increase in mental health problems during the pandemic in the general population is confirmed. However, the report underlines the need for a larger number of studies with better methodological quality. On the other hand, no evidence was found of the effect of the pandemic on an increase in mortality due to suicide, although the youngest do seem to have been a group especially at risk for suicidal behavior.

Contributing factors

Among the main factors that have influenced the increase in mental health problems are loneliness, fear of contagion or death, mourning for having lost a loved one, and economic concerns. In the specific case of health workers, physical and mental exhaustion has also been a special risk factor for thoughts of suicide.

Young people and women, the hardest hit

The pandemic has especially affected the mental health of young people, who were at higher risk of suicide and self-harm. Women and people with physical health problems such as asthma, cancer, or heart disease have also been more likely to develop mental health problems.

People who prior to the pandemic already experienced mental health problems have not had a higher risk of contagion, but if they did, they have had a greater severity of the disease, a greater number of hospitalizations, and higher mortality compared to people without mental health problems. mental health. Within this group, people with severe mental health problems and young people have been the groups most affected by this morbidity and mortality.

Gaps in health care

In addition to the increase in mental health problems, interruptions and limitations in access to mental health services have been added, causing large gaps in health care for those who need it most.

In some cases, deficiencies have been found in psychiatric emergency services, such as, for example, in suicide prevention services.

The impossibility of face-to-face care has led many people to seek remote help, which makes the accessibility of effective and easy-to-use digital instruments urgent. However, the development and implementation of digital interventions remains a challenge in resource-limited settings and countries and among people with low digital skills.

Need for more research on treatments

Although there are psychological interventions that have been effective in preventing and combating mental health problems related to the pandemic, more research is needed on the subject, as the available data is still limited. In contrast, there is currently no published review on psychological interventions that have been specially designed and/or adapted during the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and their efficacy.

In conclusion, the Director General of the WHO, Dr. Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated that this report " is a wake-up call to all countries to pay more attention to mental health and make greater efforts to guarantee access to mental health in the population ”.

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More information:

Mental Health and COVID-19: Early evidence of the pandemic's impact: Scientific brief, 2 March 2022

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