The health crisis caused by the Covid-19 epidemic, which has lasted for three years, has had a strong impact on the mental health of the population. The rise in the number of people with depressive disorders is ” unprecedented “ since 2017, according to the last Weekly epidemiological bulletin (BEH)published Tuesday, February 14 by Public Health France (SPF).
Globally, 13.3% of people aged 18 to 75 experienced a depressive episode during the year 2021, an increase of 36% compared to 2017. The increase is major among young adults (18-24 years old), with 20.8% of this age group affected in 2021, compared to 11.7% four years earlier, an increase of nearly 80%; young women are more affected (26.5%) than young men (15.2%).
These figures come from the Barometer of Public Health France, which questioned 24,514 people aged 18 to 85 by telephone and online, according to a random survey which regularly assesses the state of mental health of the population since 2005.
To measure depression, the health agency uses as a measuring instrument a short version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview questionnaire, developed by the World Health Organization, which is used to define the major depressive episode. This corresponds to the existence of an episode of sadness or loss of interest for at least two consecutive weeks, and at least three so-called “secondary” symptoms (fatigue, weight loss or gain, sleep problem , concentration, thoughts of death, etc.), with an impact on daily life. These episodes are classified as mild, moderate or severe. “We expected this increase, but not at such a high level, especially among young people »notes Christophe Léon, in charge of investigations in the mental health unit of SPF, and also one of the authors.
This high prevalence in the 18-24 age group, a key period, “is partly linked to life situations – professional, family and financial situations – undoubtedly made more precarious in the context of the health crisis”point out the authors of the BEH.
“The social isolation generated by the confinements, the uncertainties about studies and the future, the precariousness highlighted during the pandemic, and probably the very anxiety-provoking current context – climate crisis, war, economic situation – have weighed strongly on the youngest »decrypts Enguerrand du Roscoät, head of the mental health unit at SPF, co-author of the study. Having a history of mental disorders is also a risk factor.
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