Mary Wilson
Well-known member
By Rachel Schraer Health reporter 3 hours ago
One in five people appeared to have depressive symptoms compared with one in ten before the pandemic.
The conclusions are based on a survey of more than 3,500 adults followed up over a 12-month period.
People were asked to consider the previous two weeks and say how often they had experienced a range of symptoms, including changes in sleep or appetite, a loss of interest and pleasure in doing things, and difficulty concentrating.
... Almost 20% of people met the criteria for depression, based on their responses, in June 2020 compared with just under 10% between July 2019 and March 2020.
While the measure of depression used is a well-known screening questionnaire though, Prof Elaine Fox at the University of Oxford, said: "It is important to remember that this does not give a diagnosis but rather an indication of everyday depressive feelings and behaviors.
... Dr Charley Baker, an associate professor of mental health at the University of Nottingham, said: "It's unsurprising to see these rates of low mood and depressive symptoms emerging...The people highlighted as struggling the most are those who are already more vulnerable to low mood, anxiety and poorer wellbeing."
But she points out that not all of the increase in mental health symptoms will be among people who have clinical conditions.
"It's important though to avoid over-pathologising what might be seen as reasonable responses to the current pandemic," she said.
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-53820425
One in five people appeared to have depressive symptoms compared with one in ten before the pandemic.
The conclusions are based on a survey of more than 3,500 adults followed up over a 12-month period.
People were asked to consider the previous two weeks and say how often they had experienced a range of symptoms, including changes in sleep or appetite, a loss of interest and pleasure in doing things, and difficulty concentrating.
... Almost 20% of people met the criteria for depression, based on their responses, in June 2020 compared with just under 10% between July 2019 and March 2020.
While the measure of depression used is a well-known screening questionnaire though, Prof Elaine Fox at the University of Oxford, said: "It is important to remember that this does not give a diagnosis but rather an indication of everyday depressive feelings and behaviors.
... Dr Charley Baker, an associate professor of mental health at the University of Nottingham, said: "It's unsurprising to see these rates of low mood and depressive symptoms emerging...The people highlighted as struggling the most are those who are already more vulnerable to low mood, anxiety and poorer wellbeing."
But she points out that not all of the increase in mental health symptoms will be among people who have clinical conditions.
"It's important though to avoid over-pathologising what might be seen as reasonable responses to the current pandemic," she said.
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-53820425