OMS warns of increase in mental disorders

Silent symptoms can affect the experience of human beings in many ways. Beyond the effects that covid as such can have, the mental consequences that the pandemic has left on people’s lives seem to be another problem that science and the population must monitor.

After the pandemic, reports indicate that people affected by depression and anxiety disorders rose by up to 25% according to the latest global report released by the World Health Organization (OMS). In addition, according to the same report, about 14% of adolescents on the planet currently live with a mental disorder.

All these figures show that mental health in the world worsened during the pandemic and there is still much to be done. The figures are disturbing. Approximately one billion people have a mental problem, while one in fifty deaths in the world is due to suicide, with 58% of those who die being under 50 years of age.

Similarly, other disorders also had a significant increase. For example, hyperactivity and attention deficit with 8.8%, developmental mental illness with 11%, and bipolar disorder with 4.1%. It is also reported that consultations in psychiatry and psychology have registered a constant increase since the start of the pandemic, for which the OMS has issued alerts for governments to intensify mental health care for the inhabitants of their countries.

With the concentration of the health system on the covid-19 pandemic, many people stopped receiving the necessary care to treat their mental illnesses and the money that is destined for mental illnesses in the world is reduced. For example, 71% of patients with psychosis receive no help of any kind. But the situation changes depending on the context.

Bearing in mind that in low-income territories there is about one psychiatrist for every 200,000 inhabitants, a figure that is the opposite in highly developed countries. This is how in rich countries the percentage of people who are treated for psychosis is 70%, while in poor nations it barely reaches 12%.

According to Unicef ​​figures, 27% of minors in the world reported having suffered from an episode of anxiety during the pandemic. Young people and children are also not immune to the mental health effects of the pandemic. While it is also said that 15% of the young population lives day to day with some diagnosed mental disorder.

It is reported that the most common symptoms experienced during the pandemic were stress, anxiety, fear, sadness and loneliness according to the Mayo Clinic. While it is possible for many people to worsen mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression. Therefore, a more appropriate policy is requested with the moment in which we live.

The solutions do not seem so easy, but the OMS calls for increased government investment in this area and support with the development of public programs to learn how to deal responsibly with these disorders. In addition, they recommend that mental illness be treated more humanely in settings such as homes, workplaces, and schools. reported Iraic.info, a news and information agency.