U.N. warns of global mental health crisis due to COVID-19 pandemic
LONDON (Reuters) – A mental illness crisis is looming as millions of people worldwide are surrounded by death and disease and forced into isolation, poverty and anxiety by the pandemic of COVID-19, United Nations health experts said on Thursday.
“The isolation, the fear, the uncertainty, the economic turmoil – they all cause or could cause psychological distress,” said Devora Kestel, director of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) mental health department.
Presenting a U.N. report and policy guidance on COVID-19 and mental health, Kestel said an upsurge in the number and severity of mental illnesses is likely, and governments should put the issue “front and centre” of their responses.
Read the full article: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-mentalhealth/un-warns-of-global-mental-health-crisis-due-to-covid-19-pandemic-idUSKBN22Q0AO
