Young people bear the brunt of pandemic mental health issues

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2020-10-29 15:16

New Zealand; International

Credit: Julian Wan/Unsplash

Young people are at greater risk of depression and anxiety in lockdown than older adults, according to new research. A study in the UK has found that 84 per cent of people aged 18-24 years reported symptoms of depression, and 72 per cent reported symptoms of anxiety during the first few weeks of national lockdown. The authors say this may help explain why more young people are now catching the virus in the UK, as they're desperate for social interaction, while their immune systems may be compromised by poorer mental health.

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Research Elsevier, Web page

Journal/
conference: Public Health

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of Auckland

Funder: KA is supported by funding from the National Institute for Health Research School for Primary Care Research (NIHR SPCR). TC acknowledges the financial support of the Department of Health via the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Specialist Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health award to the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) and the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London. JRM is funded by a Medical Research Council Clinician Scientist Fellowship [grant number MR/P008348/1]. JRM is an Editor of the journal Public Health and has been in no way involved in the editorial decision making in the consideration of this manuscript.

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