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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Daniel Keane

Levels of ‘severe distress’ have risen since start of the pandemic

The number of people reporting feelings of “severe distress” has risen steadily since the start of the pandemic, a study has found.

Researchers found that rising levels of severe distress are being reported in all age groups except older adults aged over 65.

Young adults aged 18-24 displayed the most striking rise, the study found.

Between April 2020 and December 2022, 51,861 adults provided data to the Smoking and Alcohol Toolkit study on how often in the last 30 days they had experienced various negative feelings, such as worthlessness or hopelessness.

Responses were on a 5-point scale and classified as “severe” using established cut-offs.

Researchers found that the proportion of adults reporting severe distress rose steadily over the course of the study, from 5.7 per cent to 8.3 per cent.

The sharpest rise was seen in 18-24-year-olds in the second half of the study’s period – from 13.6 per cent in December 2021 to 20.2 per cent in December 2022.

In contrast, the proportion of adults reporting any distress remained steady at about a third.

Participants from low-income backgrounds also saw sharp rises in reports of severe distress, which researchers suggest could be due to the cost-of-living crisis.

A survey conducted in July 2022 by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found more than two-fifths (42 per cent) of people living in the most deprived areas in England had cut back on food and essentials, compared with 27 per cent of those living in more well-off areas.

The study was carried out by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London, the Department of Behavioural Science & Health at University College London and the SPECTRUM Consortium.

Dr Leonie Brose, the study’s senior author from King’s IoPPN said: “The last three years have seen an unprecedented series of events that can be seen to be contributing to a worsening in people’s mental health; a pandemic, a cost-of-living crisis, and a healthcare crisis. Our study shows that England’s wellbeing is steadily getting worse. The number of people reporting severe distress is growing in all age groups from all economic backgrounds – only the over 65s appear to be avoiding this.

“What’s required now is a strategy that puts equality, wellbeing and sustainability at the heart of society’s response.”

Dr Sarah Jackson, the study’s first author from UCL said: “The high burden of mental health problems in England is not necessarily a new concern, but recent events appear to have exacerbated the problem and caused existing inequalities in mental health to deepen. Groups with particularly high rates of distress include young adults, women, non-binary people, people working in routine and manual occupations, and people who smoke.

“This burden has been made worse by a particularly sharp rise in severe distress since 2021 among 18-24-year-olds. Focused action is urgently needed to tackle the causes of poor mental health in the population and provide support to those who need it.”

Mark Rowland, CEO, Mental Health Foundation and Chair of the Mental Health and Smoking Partnership said, “These findings illustrate the urgent need to address the mental health consequences of the pandemic.

“If we don’t prevent high levels of psychological distress, particularly among young and disadvantaged groups, this will feed through into greater mental and physical ill-health, impacting productivity and requiring more support from already stretched services.”

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