No real mental health crisis from pandemic

[Nimbostratus100]

Confirmed by BMJ, after surveys across high income countries across Europe and ASia

This doesn't surprise me in the slightest, despite a myriad of anecdotal accounts on MN and in some other places.

I know I asked many hundreds of children myself, and found more enjoyed and benefited from lockdown than suffered because of it, and mental health charities knew at the time that suicide rates were falling, which has later been confirmed.

Some people's mental health deteriorated in the lockdowns. Some people's improved. Overall, there was a small rise in mild/moderate mental health problems being reported, while suicides decreased.

Can we stop blaming the pandemic and lockdown for poor mental health across the board now, but particularly in schools.

This. A hundred times this.

@glasshole That's nice for you. We lost 30% of our household income over night, my work becaume an all consuming, anxiety inducing nightmare of constant fractious Teams meetings - I would often simply collapse in exhausted tears at the end of the day. We don't have a garden but felt constantly watched and judged as we, like a lot of Londoners, used public spaces to exercise and get some headspace.

Random posters on mn woefully bad at following sources and checking detail.

This thread shows just how hopeless some are at it.

And even when pointed out would rather cling to bias than readers. Yes we’re in a state but for different reasons. Upgrade people’s ability to check sources.

And I do have to wonder why some people seem to think it must’ve been absolutely terrible for every single person and that nobody could’ve found it fine, or even enjoyable. That’s what I find odd.

I didn’t acknowledge it wasn’t difficult for some. I replied to your initial comment about not knowing any children who enjoyed it, or something along those lines. How come it’s ok to assume it was difficult for everyone but it’s not ok to say it wasn’t terrible for some?

Than reassess..

I do have to wonder why some people find it so difficult to acknowledge the benefits of lockdown?

Sure, it didn't work out well for some people, but it did for others, which is fair enough,

But why have so many people tried to shut down and invalidate anyone talking about the benefits? This is what I dont get - why have so many people tried to forcibly shut down the other side, for years?

I dont have a house or a garden or money or horses

@OutOfChocolate You may be right. But personally, yes I know this is anecdotal, the difference in cohorts between by two DD's six years apart, is startling, both at school and university. Perhaps it is social media, perhaps it was the pandemic. Maybe someone, somewhere, will look at it properly. All I know is that it is impossible to access any kind of mental health support either at university or even privately, as the demand is huge, and not for the want of services, the universities seem to be generally very good at providing DSA support, mentors, tutors, student support, mental health services etc etc etc, they are just all overwhelmed.

My daughters also loved lockdown, particularly the first lockdown. My eldest’s MH improved immeasurably during lockdown and returned to previous levels of poor MH once she returned to school.

Oh right, so a study confirms it so it must be true.

I'm curious to know what your metrics are for believing things?

I haven't read the study myself so I can't comment on its merits.

@Meandfour

I can acknowledge some people enjoyed. Especially those who were better off and were able to wfh or were furloghed.

Individuals enjoying lock down doesn't negate the overall negative impacts to public services and the economy. Or the other myriad of negative impacts.

No one is saying it was awful for everyone. A lot of people are saying it was awful for them or the people they work with. But they are shouted down, as they were in the lock down. Accept the fact you are privileged and had money, housing and space so you could enjoy the lock down. Not everyone did and for them it was a horrible time.

Hmm.i dispute this.Younger kids seem more needy and anxious.Older ones ..well some seem quietly depressed.Older people kicked out of jobs...very much older people dying alone in care homes unvisited.Front line workers strikes are about the cost of living but also reflect anger from their own trauma imho.Think about class and race.That survey was of affluent countries.What was also hard was the singing families all having jolly good fun broadcast on the news when singles were isolated and probably feeling a huge sense of failure and dealing with a crisis.

@Nimbostratus100

Im not shutting you or anyone down.

You can talk about the benefits of lockdown to you as an individual all you like.

They aren't relevant to wider society though

Or really to anything except your own life.

I am glad it improved your life. This is what I saw with relatives with diagnosed enduring mental health problems. Services are not designed for people with mental health issues like bipolar. Most PIP assessments during the pandemic were done over the telephone which made the process easier as well.

I think when people talk about mental health they mainly mean feeling a bit sad or lonely and not serious diagnosed mental health problems. They are not talking usually about people who will have a psychiatrist, have had the crisis team visit them, or an in stay patient experience. People with serious mental health problems remain ignored even when people talk about mental health problems.

The GP still offered fact to face appointments for my relative with bipolar during the first lockdown even though officially all appointments were remote. They obviously were making exceptions for people who needed face to face. And because fewer people were going to the GP, it was very easy to get an appointment.

I was also aware that elderly and disabled people who were vulnerable were offered telephone befriending. I know my elderly neighbour was far less lonely during the pandemic than they were normally. They had so many neighbours offering help and a telephone befriender. It has since all melted away.

The sound of birds was good tho

Bullshit

Strikes are about the cost of living. You can't put people anger at not being able to heat their own homes down to covid.

I do have to wonder why some people find it so difficult to acknowledge the benefits of lockdown? Sure, it didn't work out well for some people, but it did for others, which is fair enough. But why have so many people tried to shut down and invalidate anyone talking about the benefits? This is what I dont get - why have so many people tried to forcibly shut down the other side, for years?

I don't think anyone is shutting down anyones personal experience. I think what we want is a proper analysis of outcomes. There is so much anecdotal experience out there from teachers, schools, universities, workplaces, that children and young people suffered, old people suffered. I hated it, I hated being shut away so I didn't follow the rules to the letter, I allowed my DD's to see friends and boyfriends, I saw members of my family and hugged them. It's tricky because how do quantify "outcome", other than asking opinion, and opinion will always vary.

Absolutely not we have seen a massive increase in needing to admit people with LD to psychiatric hospital because COVID took away all their routines and increased isolation. Day services were closed so they were just sitting in all the time. The full scale is just starting to happen we don't have enough beds , I'm guessing it's the same for people with SMI.

By all means tell your individual story but it doesn’t help to use a study and try to extrapolate data for dc

It’s misleading and not necessary

But your first post on this thread said you don’t know any child who enjoyed lockdown. Several of us has replied saying our children did enjoy it.

Your post didn’t point out overall impacts to service. You specified said children didn’t enjoy it.

Totally agree.

this has made me laugh so much.

@Meandfour

In response to me misreading the op saying they only knew children who had benefitted

I don't know your children

Or we’re stuck in a small flat in a tower block with no outside space.