The coronavirus pandemic is likely to have a “profound and pervasive impact” on global mental health as billions struggle to cope with isolated living and anxiety spikes, experts warned recently.

In a paper published in Lancet Psychiatry, a panel of 24 specialists call for more funding for research into the impacts COVID-19 may have on society’s mental well-being.

Two accompanying surveys of the British public showed that most people questioned had experienced heightened anxiety and fear of becoming mentally unwell since the pandemic struck.

“We are all dealing with unprecedented uncertainty and major changes to the way we live our lives as a result of coronavirus,” said lead author Emily Holmes from Uppsala University’s department of psychology.

“Our surveys show these changes are already having a considerable impact on our mental health.”

The authors called for real-time monitoring of anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide across the world, as well as the creation of treatment programs that can be accessed remotely.

“This needs to be on a bigger scale than we have ever seen previously, and must be coordinated, targeted and comprehensive,” said Matthew Hotopf, from King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience.

“Above all, we want to stress that all new interventions must be informed by top-notch research to make sure they work.”

Studies into the mental health impact of previous disease outbreaks, such as the SARS epidemic in the early 2000s, showed a clear increase in suicide rates and the number of health care workers who experience emotional distress.

But the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic is unprecedented, with billions of people forced to isolate at home and no end in sight even after social distancing measures are eased. The surveys, conducted among more than 3,000 people in Britain, showed a wide range of fears arising from the pandemic.

These include increased anxiety, the effects of social isolation, the fear of becoming mentally unwell and accessing care if needed.

The experts cautioned that these symptoms were likely to continue well in to the future, even after the current lockdowns are eased.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【前所未有的】 qiánsuǒ wèiyǒu de unprecedented having no previous example

【拔尖的】bájiān de top-notch of the highest quality

专家最近警告说，当前有数十亿民众苦于应对隔离生活以及焦虑情绪加剧等问题，新冠肺炎疫情很可能对全球心理健康造成“严重的普遍性影响”。

在发表于《柳叶刀▪精神病学》期刊上的研究文章中，由24名专家组成的研究小组呼吁增加资金，以研究新冠肺炎可能给社会心理健康造成的影响。

文章附有两项对英国民众进行的调查，结果显示，自从疫情暴发以来，大多数受访者出现过焦虑情绪加剧以及担心出现心理问题等状况。

文章的主要作者、瑞典乌普萨拉大学心理学系的埃米莉▪霍姆斯说： “由于新冠病毒的出现，我们都在应对前所未有的不确定性，以及生活方式的重大变化。”

“我们的调查显示，这些变化已经对我们的心理健康产生了很大影响。”

该文的作者呼吁在全球范围内实时监控焦虑症、抑郁症、自残行为和自杀行为等，并建立远程治疗项目。

英国伦敦大学国王学院神经病

学、心理学和神经学研究所的马修▪霍托普夫说：“相关心理治疗的规模需要超过以往水平，还必须相互协调、具有针对性和全面性。”

“我们尤其想要强调的是，所有新的干预措施都必须来自一流的研究，以确保能够发挥作用。”

针对过往疫情（如本世纪初的非典疫情）心理健康影响的结果显示，在此期间，自杀率明显上升，出现情绪困扰的医护人员数量也明显增加。

而新冠肺炎疫情造成的影响前所未有，数十亿民众被迫居家隔离，即使保持社交距离的措施放松，也看不到结束的迹象。

这两项对3000多名英国人开展的调查显示，此次新冠肺炎疫情引发了十分普遍的忧虑情绪。

这些负面情绪包括焦虑加剧、社会隔离造成的心理影响、担心出现心理问题，以及担忧在需要时是否得到护理等。

专家警告说，这些症状很可能延续很久，即便封锁放松后也会存在。

(chinadaily.com.cn)