WHO urges greater funding for mental health due to Covid-19 effects
New research shows that the prevalence of depressive symptoms in SA doubled between 2017 and June 2020
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday urged governments to increase funding for mental healthcare, warning that demand for those services was set to rise in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Its call comes hard on the heels of research released last week that found the prevalence of depressive symptoms in SA doubled between 2017 (pre-Covid-19) and June 2020 (during the Covid-19 era). The National Income Dynamics Study Coronavirus Rapid Mobile (Nids-Cram) survey wave 2 study found the proportion of people who exhibited depressive symptoms rose from 12% to 24% over the period, with the most marked increase among men, non-black Africans, people with tertiary education, and the wealthiest 20%...
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