WHO: Pandemic has impact on mental health

THE COVID-19 pandemic has a huge impact on people’s mental health, states the World Health Organization (WHO).

WHO director Mental Health and Substance Use Devora Kestel said COVID-19 had an emotional and internal impact on people.

“We have been discussing this for a while about the anxiety that the current situation has been creating for a long way now,” she said.

“The emotional and internal impact that could be translated into more stress and in some specific issues related to coping mechanisms that were used to face the challenges that we have in terms of isolation, in terms of lack of contact, the fear that we felt for what was coming and the uncertainty that we still have because now we know a lot more than what we knew a year ago.

“But still, we don’t know when and how this is going to end and we are still uncertain who, close to us, will be impacted and what will be the consequences of all if that.

“So again, the manifestations may change from one to the other but basically, we see, we hear, we read about most of us being somehow impacted in mental health.”

Ms Kestel said people of all ages were mentally affected by COVID-19.