COVID-19 pandemic led to stark rise in depression, anxiety: study
CTV
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health led to millions of cases of depression and anxiety around the world, a new study has found.
The study, published in The Lancet on Friday, looked at over 5,600 datasets from numerous surveys around the world focusing on the effect of the pandemic on mental health. They then conducted disease modelling to calculate the prevalence of major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders due to COVID-19.
Researchers calculated that in 2020, the pandemic led to an additional 53 million cases of major depressive disorder and 76 million cases of anxiety disorder, representing an increase of 28 per cent and 26 per cent, respectively.
The researchers found that compared to men, women were twice as likely to experience pandemic-induced major depressive disorder or anxiety disorder. This is the result of women often having to be the ones to take on additional responsibilities at home exacerbated by lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, the researchers say.
"Women are more likely to be financially disadvantaged during the pandemic due to lower salaries, less savings, and less secure employment than their male counterparts," the authors wrote. "They are also more likely to be victims of domestic violence, the prevalence of which increased during periods of lockdown and stay-at-home orders
