Little deterioration in mental health linked to pandemic: Study

According to a study published in The BMJ, mental health in the general population has not altered much throughout the covid-19 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic levels. Some specific groups, particularly women, appear to have been more negatively affected, but changes have been minimal to small, say the researchers. Many studies and media reports suggest that covid-19 has led to widespread decline in mental health, but inconsistencies in study quality and misinterpretation of cross-sectional data may have led to misleading results. To address this, researchers reviewed 137 studies that compared general mental health, anxiety and depression symptoms in populations during the covid-19 pandemic (from 1 January 2020 or later) with pre-covid assessments (1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019). Studies had to report data from groups comprising at least 90% of the same participants between pre-pandemic and pandemic periods or to use statistical methods to account for missing data.