Did COVID really impact our mental health?

The pandemic brought along a wave of challenges which took a massive toll on our physical and psychological well-being. The onset of the deadly coronavirus initiated discussions around mental health issues that were often brushed off in the pre-COVID era. From dealing with episodes of anxiety to grieving the loss of a loved one, COVID-19 caused a lot of damage to a person’s self-esteem and psychological strength. Initial reports suggested a dramatic surge in the number of people dealing with mental health issues. However, experts now believe that as people started to adapt to the COVID times, there was a significant decline in the number of cases.

As is known, the pandemic affected people across the globe. It had an impact on lives and livelihoods of people, which lead to many psychological concerns. According to a group of researchers, who were a part of the Lancet’s COVID-19 Commission Mental Health Task, the impact of the pandemic on people’s lives gradually faded out with time.

The researchers after having reviewed the best available data, observed that some people had experienced some “substantial, life-changing suffering.” However, after evaluating almost 1,000 studies that having looked into the data of hundreds of thousands of people from nearly 100 countries, they were almost confident that the impact of the pandemic on people mental health was not as grievous as it was being discussed as.

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During the beginning of the pandemic, the team of researchers observed a high spike in the average levels of anxiety and depression (psychological distress). For instance, as compared to pre-COVID numbers, the reports of depression rose three-fold during March and April of 2020 in the US and Norway. A study of 50,000 people in a UK study reported 27 percent of the people showing clinically significant levels of distress early in the pandemic as opposed to 19 percent before the pandemic.

This showed how the onset of COVID-19 brought along a wide range of mental health issues.

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As time went by, according to the researchers, average levels of depression, anxiety, and distress began to fall. They suggested that as per certain data, “overall psychological distress returned to near-pre-pandemic levels by early summer 2020.”

In order to reach a solid conclusion, the team also examined the largest data set available on that topic, from the Gallup World Poll. “This survey asks people to evaluate their life on a 10-point scale, with 10 being the best possible life and zero being the worst,” experts explain.

The results showed that there was no significant decline in life satisfaction. Reportedly, people in 2020 rated their lives at 5.75 on average, identical to the average in previous years.

Additionally, according to experts, “Real-time data from official government sources in 21 countries showed no detectable increase in instances of suicide from April to July 2020, relative to previous years; in fact, suicide rates actually declined slightly within some countries, including the U.S. For example, California expected to see 1,429 deaths by suicide during this period, based on data from prior years; instead, 1,280 occurred.”

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While many have survived the ill-effects of the pandemic, the impact on the mind is something that lingers on. However, researchers believe that humans possess something called the psychological immune system, which gives people the ability to make the best out of worst situations. It is what gives people the strength to cope with losses, traumatic experiences, injuries and misery.

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