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Survey shows that Depression figures have doubled during the Pandemic

Figures released this summer from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that rates of depression have doubled in their survey group during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The figures are based on the number of adults reporting depressive symptoms in Great Britain between 4 and 14 June 2020, based on the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey. This survey revisited the same group of adults both before and during the pandemic and shows how their symptoms of depression have changed over a 12-month period.

Depression is among the most common types of mental disorders and can affect people in different ways, causing a wide variety of symptoms. These symptoms range from lasting feelings of unhappiness and hopelessness, to losing interest in the things they used to enjoy and feeling very tearful.  More information available on the NHS website  

The ONS Survey showed that:

Almost one in five adults (19.2%) were likely to be experiencing some form of depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020 – this had almost doubled from around 1 in 10 (9.7%) before the pandemic (July 2019 to March 2020).

Younger adults – aged 16 to 39 years – were more likely to have moderate to severe depressive symptoms when compared with other ages.

Women were more likely than men to report moderate to severe depressive symptoms, with women having 1.7 times the odds of men reporting these symptoms.

The odds of adults, who could not afford an unexpected but necessary expense of £850, reporting moderate to severe depressive symptoms were around four times greater (4.4) than those able to afford this expense.

The odds of adults, who were classified as disabled reporting moderate to severe depressive symptoms, were six times greater (6.0) than those who were not classed as disabled.

There was an increase in the proportion of working adults experiencing some form of depression during the pandemic – this increase included those working as key workers.

Over two in five (42.2%) adults experiencing some form of depression during the pandemic said their relationships were being affected, compared with one in five (20.7%) adults with no, or mild, depressive symptoms.

To find out more about how COVID-19 is affecting the UK – check out the ONS COVID-19 roundup which is updated as new statistics are released.