Doctors are predicting an anxiety pandemic when the UK emerges from lockdown and normal life resumes.
The warning came after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced England’s road map out of lockdown, with the removal of all legal limits on social contact expected to be lifted by June 21 at the earliest.
Reading GP Dr William Bird said Britain’s National Health Service would need to recruit more counsellors to offer support to people who will struggle with anxiety after the worst of the pandemic is over.
"I feel we really need to ramp up the system in the NHS to be able to deal with this anxiety pandemic which is going to hit us in the summer and into the next year or two," he told BBC Breakfast.
“It’s probably a huge service that’s going to be required to deal with this. Of course you have long Covid, which has created its own problems with depression and anxiety.”
He said many people would try to deal with anxiety themselves before seeking professional help.
“But if you let it overrun it can lead to chronic anxiety and depression,” Dr Bird said.
“If it’s really affecting your lifestyle, it’s affecting your work, your sleep, your relationships, your own well-being, then obviously you may want to see someone.”
Meanwhile, a major youth charity said on Thursday the loss of support services risked having a “devastating impact” on the mental health of young people.
Research from UK Youth into the effects of the pandemic on youth services found 66 per cent of the 1,759 organisations surveyed said there had been an increase in demand.
Despite the greater need, 83 per cent of respondents said the level of funding had decreased, while 64 per cent said they were at risk of closure in the next year.
Ndidi Okezie, chief executive at UK Youth, said young people were “falling through the net” because services were allowed to disappear.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has hit youth organisations in the shadow of 10 years of extreme cuts,” she said.
“The impact of the pandemic has had a devastating effect on young people and the safe spaces that support millions of them.”
Coronavirus in the UK – in pictures
