New York, October 5 – The pandemic has caused enormous damage to people’s mental health but the mental health services, which are chronically underfunded, have not been able to meet the challenge in a majority of 130 countries surveyed, the World Health Organization said.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted or halted critical mental health services in 93% of countries worldwide while the demand for mental health is increasing,” the survey said, providing the first global data on mental illnesses inflicted by the pandemic, the lack of access to mental health services and the urgent need to invest on those services.

WHO published the survey, which was conducted from June to August 2020, while it is preparing to launch a global advocacy event on October 10 known as “WHO’s Big Event for Mental Health” with an assist from world leaders, celebrities and advocates to call for increased mental health investments in the wake of the pandemic.

The survey said bereavement, isolation, loss of income and fear are triggering mental health conditions or exacerbating existing ones.

“Many people may be facing increased levels of alcohol and drug use, insomnia, and anxiety. Meanwhile, COVID-19 itself can lead to neurological and mental complications, such as delirium, agitation, and stroke,” the survey said. “People with pre-existing mental, neurological or substance use disorders are also more vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection  ̶  they may stand a higher risk of severe outcomes and even death.”

“Good mental health is absolutely fundamental to overall health and well-being,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “COVID-19 has interrupted essential mental health services around the world just when they’re needed most. World leaders must move fast and decisively to invest more in life-saving mental health programs during the pandemic and beyond.”

The survey said over 60 per cent of countries surveyed reported disruptions to mental health services for vulnerable people, including children and adolescents (72 per cent), older adults (70 per cent), and women requiring antenatal or postnatal services (61 per cent).

It said 67 per cent of countries surveyed reported disruptions to counseling and psychotherapy; 65 per cent to critical harm reduction services; and 45 per cent to opioid agonist maintenance treatment for opioid dependence. Over a third of countries reported disruptions to emergency interventions and access for medications for mental, neurological and substance use disorders. 

Seventy per cent of countries have adopted telemedicine or teletherapy to overcome disruptions to in-person services, but there are significant disparities in the uptake of these interventions. More than 80 per cent of high-income countries reported deploying telemedicine and teletherapy to bridge gaps in mental health, compared with less than 50 per cent of low-income countries.