Depression doubles during coronavirus pandemic

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Twice as many adults in Britain are now reporting symptoms of depression compared to the same time last year, figures from the Bureau of National Statistics suggest.

One in five people seemed to have depressive symptoms, up from one in ten before the pandemic.

The findings are based on a survey of over 3,500 adults followed over a 12-month period.

They were asked the standard set of questions used to assess depression.

People were asked to look back at the previous two weeks and say how often they had experienced a range of symptoms, including changes in sleep or appetite, loss of interest and pleasure in doing things, and difficulty concentrating.

Almost 20% of people reached the depression threshold, based on their responses, in June 2020, compared to just under 10% in July 2019.

Although the measure of depression used is a well-known screening questionnaire, Professor Elaine Fox of the University of Oxford said: “It is important to remember that this does not give a diagnosis but rather an indication of feelings. and daily depressive behaviors ”. .

Serious mental health issues rise amid pandemic

A small number of people (3.5%) saw improvement in their symptoms.

But 13% of those surveyed showed new symptoms of “moderate to severe” depression during the survey period.

People under 40, women, people with disabilities and those who said they would struggle to cope with an unexpected cost of £ 850 were the groups most likely to show symptoms of depression.

Of those surveyed who suffered from some level of depression, those people reported feeling the most bothered by feelings of stress or anxiety.

Dr Charley Baker, associate professor of mental health at the University of Nottingham, said: “It is not surprising to see these rates of bad mood and depressive symptoms emerge … People highlighted as battling the more are those who are already more vulnerable to bad mood, anxiety and less good well-being.

“It is, however, important to avoid over-pathologizing what could be considered reasonable responses to the current pandemic,” she said.

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