Coronavirus: Half a million Britons will suffer mental health problems as UN warns psychological toll will persist long after pandemic

'This is something that needs to be done in the middle of the crisis, so that we can prevent things becoming worse in the near future', WHO mental health chief says

The United Nations has warned the virus has exposed decades of neglect when it comes to mental health services around the world (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Researchers, psychiatrists and Global health officials have warned of a looming mental health crisis stemming from the coronavirus - with at least an extra half a million people in the UK alone expected to suffer with a psychological problem as a result of the pandemic.

The virus has already taken its toll on hospitals and households across the country and the world - with more than 33,000 deaths and 233,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 since the outbreak began.

Now experts have warned the impact of lockdown — including its effects on the nation’s economy — will take its toll on people’s psychological wellbeing across the country for years to come amid calls from the UN to bolster mental health provisions now to stop the situation worsening in the future.

In a study into the impact of the virus on the mental wellbeing of the nation, researchers at the Centre for Mental Health found both the impact of the pandemic and the economic downturn it is expected to trigger could cause hundreds of thousands to report mental health problems over the course of the next two years.

The research, which used data collected from pandemics across the world as well as the impact of the 2008 financial crash, found that even more severe damage could be caused by a second wave of the virus further disrupting the economy.

Among those identified as being particularly at risk in the study were people who have suffered a bereavement, those who have received intensive hospital treatment for the virus, and staff working in health and care services. People facing violence and abuse, people with long-term health conditions, and people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities (BAME) were also highlighted in the study, as well as those who had previously reported mental health issues.

Centre for Mental Health chief executive Sarah Hughes said: “Covid-19 is a health emergency like nothing else in living memory.

“It has already been widely recognised that the pandemic will have major effects on mental as well as physical health.

“The evidence we have reviewed shows that this must be taken seriously. We need to be prepared for a rise in the number of people experiencing poor mental health, both short-term and potentially for some time to come”.

It comes as the United Nations warns the virus has exposed decades of neglect when it comes to mental health services around the world - with UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged the international community to do more to help those at risk.

Urging help for “frontline healthcare workers, older people, adolescents and young people, those with pre-existing mental health conditions and those caught up in conflict and crisis”, he added: “We must help them and stand by them”.

Dévora Kestel, director of the department of mental health and substance use at the World Health Organization, added that there was a clear link between global economic struggles and the mental health of individuals — leading to higher instances of suicide and substance abuse.

“We need to make sure that measures are there to protect and promote and care for (the) existing situation right now”, Ms. Kestel said. “This is something that needs to be done in the middle of the crisis, so that we can prevent things becoming worse in the near future.”