The COVID-19 pandemic has caused great damage in terms of health as well as economic, political, education and many other aspects around the world. The psychological and sociological damage caused by the pandemic, which creates negative social and individual effects, is also at a frightening level. As a matter of fact, many studies have been carried out in this direction, but no clear data has been provided in general.
Our lives, which have changed since the day the pandemic started, have triggered many different psychological health problems. In previous studies, it was determined that psychological problems such as panic attacks, distraction, social anxiety, insomnia and the like increased during the pandemic period. The study, carried out by a team of researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia, reveals the increasing psychological problems over the past year.
76 million extra cases of anxiety detected
In 2020, cases of anxiety and depression worldwide increased alarmingly. An estimated 76 million more anxiety cases and 53 million more major depressive disorder cases than expected were detected during the pandemic process compared to previous years. In the latest research, it was determined that women and young people are more likely to be affected by mental health than men or the elderly. About two-thirds of cases of extra-major depressive disorder and 68% of cases of extra-anxiety disorder are among women. Young people were more affected by the condition than older people. Extra cases were also most common among people aged 20-24.
Western Europe and the Middle East come first in psychological disorders that have increased due to the pandemic. While it is estimated that there are 246 million cases of major depressive disorder and 374 million cases of anxiety disorder worldwide in 2020, the fact that these figures are much higher than expected, scares people about the mental health of the world in the future.