The impact of covid-19 on the mental health of the entire global population has been crushing, and for those predisposed to certain issues, it’s been even worse. The virus has taken a severe and hard-to-control toll on the mental well-being of the youth especially, as data is starting to show.
A survey by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) – a United Nations agency – found that half the world’s youth population are subject to anxiety or depression, and more than a third are uncertain of their future career prospects due to the pandemic.
The ILO’s ‘Youth and COVID-19: Impacts on jobs, education, rights and mental well-being’ survey found that unless immediate action wasn’t taken, ‘young people are likely to suffer severe and long-lasting impacts from the pandemic’.
The survey was aimed at understanding the immediate effects of the pandemic on the lives of people aged between 18 to 29 years in regards to employment, education, mental health, rights and social activism.
They received over 12,000 responses from 112 countries, and found that one in two young people globally could be subject to anxiety or depression, while 17% are actively affected by it. The severe disruption to learning and working, along with the health crisis, has seen a deterioration in young people’s mental well-being. It’s at its lowest for young women and those between the ages of 18 and 24 years.
These are some startling but non-surprising facts we’re hearing, and as the coronavirus rages on, the only thing we can do is hope to get through it all.