10-10-2021, 05:53 PM
![[Image: gettyimages_601.2f217134546.original.jpg]](https://media.thevibes.com/images/uploads/covers/September_2021/_large/gettyimages_601.2f217134546.original.jpg)
CASES of depression and anxiety surged by more than a quarter globally during the first year of the pandemic, especially among women and young adults, a major study showed on Saturday.
In the first worldwide estimate of the mental health impact of Covid-19, researchers estimated that 2020 saw an additional 52 million people suffer from major depressive disorder, and an additional 76 million cases of anxiety.
These represent a 28% and 26% increase in the two disorders respectively, according to the study, published in The Lancet medical journal.
Covid-19 has claimed nearly 5 million lives since it emerged in late 2019, but experts say this is likely to be a vast underestimate.
Friday's study showed that the hardest-hit countries were saddled with the greatest mental health burden, with a strong link between high Covid-19 case levels, restrictions on movement, and elevated rates of depression and anxiety.
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