Editorial

ABSTRACT

Surveys of the general public report increased stress, anxiety and depression related to disruptions related to COVID-19 (fear, isolation, uncertainty, loss of income leading to financial difficulties which threaten housing, childcare, social life….);people quarantined are more likely to be socially isolated and experience increased stress related to boredom, lack of social support, increased online gambling with potentially negative consequences, fear related to exposure to media reports […] People who have had COVID-19 may have experienced serious physical symptoms (such as neurological problems and post viral depressive symptoms) which themselves are linked to mental health problems, they may have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or post intensive care syndrome as a result of spending long periods in intensive care. The challenge then is not merely wholesale improvement and rectification of long-term underfunding of community mental health services, but urgent rebuilding of social and economic supports to prevent the social factors underpinning distress leading to long-term and serious mental illness (Rose et al., 2020).