On 13 May, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, António Guterres, launched the UN Policy Brief on COVID-19 and the need for action on mental health, in which he urges governments, civil society, health authorities and others to urgently address the mental health dimension of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Policy Brief describes the negative impact of COVID-19 on mental health, highlighting the associated increase in anxiety, psychological distress, emotional difficulties and depression brought about by social distancing, fears about COVID-19 and the exacerbation of work-related stressors for frontline staff. Providing an overview of recent epidemiological and psychosocial research on COVID-19, the Policy Brief discusses the detrimental impact of COVID-19 on mental health and mental health services. Among other aspects, these include the increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia in older adults due to social isolation and reduced physical activity, and the closure of support services in the community or healthcare setting. The Policy Brief also identifies older adults and people with pre-existing conditions as a specific population with increased mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, as a consequence of their elevated risk of loneliness, social isolation and stigma.
In its Policy Brief, the UN makes recommendations around three key pillars. Firstly, they call for a whole-of-society approach to promote, protect and care for mental health, with mental health and psychosocial considerations taken into account when countries devise their responses to COVID-19. Secondly, they ask that there be widespread availability of emergency mental health and psychosocial support during and after the pandemic, including community actions, health and social care services and the provision of remote mental health support services for those in need. Finally, the UN calls for increased investment in mental health services, particularly emphasising the need to build up community-based services that are accessible, affordable and sustainable in the long term, by involving people with lived experience in the design, implementation and monitoring of these services. The UN Policy Brief can be found here: https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/un_policy_brief-covid_and_mental_health_final.pdf
