Mental health expert says most vulnerable must be swiftly identified and given help
People who feel trapped and lonely during the coronavirus lockdown must be swiftly identified and given the help they need, one of the experts leading the UK’s assessment of the outbreak’s psychological impact has said.
Prof Rory O’Connor, of the University of Glasgow’s institute of health and wellbeing, has overseen what is believed to be the largest nationally representative survey of the adult population’s response to the crisis.
“Understandably, the initial response was about the physical containment of the virus, but we need to now ensure that we are protecting people’s mental health,” he said. “We do know from an initial snapshot survey that people are reporting elevated levels of anxiety, depression and stress. That’s why it’s so urgent that we identify who is vulnerable so we can put measures in place.”
