Senior health officials from the WHO's European Region on Wednesday conveyed their commitment to addressing the mental health crisis that has worsened due to the Covid-19 pandemic across the region
Senior health officials from the WHO's European Region on Wednesday conveyed their commitment to addressing the mental health crisis that has worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic across the region.
A WHO release said the mental health impacts of the pandemic will be long-term and far-reaching. "From anxieties around virus transmission, the psychological impact of lockdowns and self-isolation, to the effects of unemployment, financial worries, and social exclusion, to in-person access to care, everyone is affected in one way or another."
"It is not just the infection, or worry about getting infected, that has affected people's mental health. The stress brought about by socio-economic inequalities and the impacts of quarantine, lockdown, and school/work closure has also had a huge impact," it added.
WHO further said people with pre-existing mental health conditions are disproportionately likely to contract COVID-19 infection, but the pandemic and its effects have also exacerbated their mental health conditions.
Dr Hans Kluge, Regional Director, WHO Europe, said: "People in the European region are quite literally breaking down under the strain of COVID-19 and its consequences. The pandemic has shaken the world. More than 4 million lives were lost globally, livelihoods ruined, families and communities forced apart, businesses bankrupted, and people deprived of opportunities. These consequences of the pandemic have exacted an enormous toll on the mental health and well-being of people in the European region."
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