The impact that Covid-19 is having on our mental wellbeing – sometimes referred to as the ‘shadow pandemic’ – is clear to see in the numbers:
Depression – More people are experiencing some form of depression. Figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that 19% of adults were likely to be experiencing some form of depression during the pandemic, almost double the proportion (10%) from before the pandemic.
Poor coping strategies – Recent research from Bupa Global, for example, found that 38% of UK board-level executives have used drink and drugs to manage pressures of the pandemic.
Loneliness – Research from the ONS reveals that at the start of November, with its darker evenings, 8% of adults were ‘always or often lonely’, representing 4.2 million people.
