Coronavirus and people with pre-existing mental health conditions

We know that having a mental health condition is a risk factor for suicide, with those diagnosed between 5-15 times more likely to die by suicide. Furthermore, a recent report found that almost 3 in 10 (28%) people who die by suicide have been in contact with mental health services in the year before their death. This shows there is a significant overlap between those who die by suicide and people in contact with mental health services.

Research has found that since the restrictions began, people with a diagnosed mental health condition have been three times more likely to have had suicidal thoughts, self-harm or attempt suicide than those without a mental health diagnosis – this held true even as lockdown was relaxed over the summer and new lockdown re-imposed in November.

What do we know from our conversations with people with mental health conditions nine months since restrictions were imposed?

Mental health has been the most common concern among callers during since the restrictions began, causing concern in 47% of calls. We’ve provided emotional support to people concerned about their mental health 818,958 times over the 9 months since restrictions began, a 3% increase compared to last year.

In our conversations with callers reporting mental health concerns three key themes were common:

Restrictions are exacerbating existing mental health conditions

During the nine months of restrictions, most volunteers told us they had spoken to callers whose existing mental health conditions were being made worse because of the restrictions (including depression, anxiety, and OCD).

Research tells us that people with mental health conditions are more likely, compared to others, to experience other psychological risk factors for suicide, eg, feelings of defeat and entrapment, feeling lonely and having suicidal thoughts. Analysis from the first six months of restrictions showed that 64% of callers who discussed suicide had concerns about mental health – consistently higher compared to the same time last year.

Over more recent months, volunteers tell us that they’re hearing from people whose mental health condition used to feel manageable, but who now describe struggling much more than usual.

Reduced access to mental health services

The vast majority of volunteers have spoken to callers who were unable to access the mental health support they received before the pandemic began. This is in line with recent research which shows that the average weekly mental healthcare contacts (eg, diagnoses, referrals) in the UK during the first four months of restrictions fell by half compared to the same period in 2017–2019.

Many callers have also felt that, where mental health support has been available, it is inadequate. As restrictions toughened into the winter, many volunteers also took calls from people who are having to adjust to a different network of services (eg, Zoom therapy sessions), services which are unreliable, or report being bounced between different sources of support. Many callers describe confusion and helplessness about how to navigate available support and feel anxious about having to deal with overwhelmed mental health services.

Reduced access to social and community support

Our volunteers also found callers with pre-existing mental health conditions had lost some of their usual coping strategies used to manage their mental health, such as support from friends, family or local community groups as well as personal hobbies.

As restrictions continue, some callers have had to increasingly rely on the support of their family and found their relationship with them strained because of this. Analysis of the first six months of restrictions found a 5% increase in calls from people concerned about both their mental health and family, compared to last year.

To find out more about how people with pre-existing mental health conditions have been affected by the Coronavirus pandemic, and what we think should be done to support them, follow the link below to read our policy brief. If you are reporting on this issue, please refer to our media guidelines.

If you're concerned about your well-being during this pandemic, call us free on 116 123, write us an email at [email protected], or try our self-help app.