Prognosis
Hidden Harm: World Saw Spike in Anxiety, Depression in Covid’s First Year
- WHO analysis indicates young people, women at greater risk
- Figures show ongoing toll of isolation, restrictions, fear
A stretcher waits in a kitchen as a funeral home worker prepares to transport the body of a woman who died of Covid-19 in her bed at home in Houston.
Photographer: John Moore/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Rates of anxiety and depression rose by about 25% worldwide in the first year of Covid-19, another indication of the widespread harm on mental health inflicted by the pandemic.
Young people were at the greatest increased risk of suicide and self-harm, and women bore the brunt of the emotional and psychological burden, according to a report from the World Health Organization. People with chronic conditions such as asthma or cancer were also more likely to develop symptoms of mental disorders during the outbreak.