Toronto –
More than two years have passed since the pandemic began, and new data show that almost a quarter of Canadians still report high levels of anxiety – the numbers have not changed much since 2020.
Researchers from the University of Waterloo reviewed the study data collected by Mental Health Research Canada. The study found that 23% of Canadians face high anxiety, while 15% experience high depression.
“Before the pandemic, those levels were about four or five percent. That’s a four- or five-fold increase, so it’s worrying, “said Gustavo Bettini, a PhD student at the University of Waterloo who is studying the long-term mental health effects of COVID-19, CTV News Channel said on Saturday.
Bettini says it is particularly worrying that even with high levels of vaccination and few remaining restrictions on COVID-19 in Canada, levels of anxiety and depression have changed very little since the poll began in April 2020.
“It is surprising to us that these levels have not changed since 2020, when we launched this survey. So it’s about the future, “he said.
Younger Canadians and people from marginalized groups, such as the LGBTQ2S + community, are more likely to face high levels of anxiety and depression caused by a pandemic, Bettini said.
“One thing we see very often is that younger adults struggle a little more than the general population. The same goes for women, especially women with young children and health care providers, and members of the LGBTQ + community.” said Bettini.
LONG-TERM COVID PATIENTS EXPRESS GREATER MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES
For those who become infected with the virus and experience prolonged symptoms of COVID-19, it may be even more difficult to keep their mental health under control.
The Canadian Public Health Agency (PHAC) has documented reports of more than 100 potential symptoms of chronic COVID. The most common, according to PHAC, include fatigue, memory problems, anxiety, depression and even post-traumatic stress disorder.
At the University of Toronto, Dr. Roger McIntyre, a professor of psychiatry and pharmacology, is leading a study to better understand how long COVID has been affecting the brain.
“What we’re trying to do is try to better understand what’s going on in the brains of people who are experiencing this very disabling, very complex syndrome after COVID,” he told CTV News Channel on Saturday.
McIntyre says inflammation due to an immune response to exposure to the virus may be one of the culprits when it comes to pinpointing why some people have long-term COVID symptoms. He says his experience is also testing treatments that affect the immune system, which could also be helpful.
“aspects of brain fog and fatigue that are so ubiquitous in this state.”
It is not clear how many people are affected by long-term symptoms of COVID. Early data from the World Health Organization showed that 10 to 20 percent of those infected with the virus could become long-distance carriers of COVID, but Tam said on Friday that more recent research showed it could actually be so high. as 50 percent.
But in the absence of treatment options, McIntyre said so far, prevention through vaccination is the most important tool to prevent long-term COVID symptoms.
“The best treatment is always prevention. And we have a signal in our literature that tells us that if you get vaccinated, you may be less likely to have long-term COVID. The burden of long-term COVID may be less, “he said. “While we are thinking about protection, the vaccine is obviously an important tool for us.
With files from The Canadian Press
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