WHO: COVID- 19 crisis is devastating mental health services
Coronavirus has dealt a devastating blow to access to mental health services, a report issued on Monday by the World Health Organization said.
“The COVID- 19 pandemic has disrupted or halted critical mental health services in 93% of countries worldwide while the demand for mental health is increasing,” the global body said in a summary of the report.
The survey, which was conducted between June and August 2020 in 130 countries across WHO’s six regions, found disruptions to be widespread.
Some 72% of countries reported disruptions in mental health services for vulnerable children and adolescents, and some 61% for women requiring antenatal or postnatal services.
Moreover, 67% saw disruptions to counseling and psychotherapy; 65% to critical harm reduction services; and 45% to opioid against maintenance treatment for opioid addiction.
The report indicated that while nearly three- quarters ( 70%) have adopted telemedicine
or teletherapy to overcome the disruptions to in- person services, this was mostly ( 80%) in high- income countries. Fewer than 50% of low- income countries have successfully deployed telemedicine.
The survey comes in the wake of multiple studies that indicate that coronavirus is having profound psychological and social effects on people.
“Studies indicate that the
COVID- 19 pandemic is associated with distress, anxiety, fear of contagion, depression and insomnia in the general population and among healthcare professionals,” according to a June 2020 report published by QJM: An International Journal of Medicine.
“Social isolation, anxiety, fear of contagion, uncertainty, chronic stress and economic difficulties may lead to the development or exacerbation of depressive, anxiety, substance use and other psychiatric disorders in vulnerable populations, including individuals with pre- existing psychiatric disorders and people who reside in high COVID- 19 prevalence areas.”
The same report found that the crisis may increase suicide rates during and after the pandemic.
Israel is already starting to see some of these effects.
In July, the Eran emotional counseling hotline, said it had seen a sharp increase in calls since the start of the pandemic. Moreover, the Health Ministry told the Knesset last month that there has been an increase in suicides since the start of coronavirus.
“This all highlights the need for more money for mental health,” the WHO survey report concluded.
“As the pandemic continues, even greater demand will be placed on national and international mental health programs that have suffered from years of chronic underfunding… Those who invest in mental health will reap rewards.”