Elsevier

Psychiatry Research

Volume 293, November 2020, 113423
Psychiatry Research

Alarming levels of psychiatric symptoms and the role of loneliness during the COVID-19 epidemic: A case study of Hong Kong

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113423Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Strict social distancing, implemented widely to curb the spread of COVID-19, has the unintended consequences of prolonged social isolation and adverse impact on mental health.

  • We conducted an online survey to examine the impact of loneliness on mental health during COVID-19 in hong Kong, a model case for the population-wide practice of effective social distancing.

  • An astonishing 65.6% of the respondents reported clinical levels of depression, anxiety, and/or stress, and 22.5% were showing signs of psychosis risk.

  • Loneliness, but not social network size, explained 12.0% to 29.2% of variance in these psychiatric symptoms.

  • To mitigate the potential epidemic of mental illness in the near future, there is an urgent need to prepare clinicians, caregivers and stakeholders to focus on loneliness.

Abstract

Public health strategies to curb the spread of the coronavirus involve sheltering at home and social distancing are effective in reducing the transmission rate, but the unintended consequences of prolonged social isolation on mental health have not been investigated. We focused on Hong Kong for its very rapid and comprehensive response to the pandemic and strictly enacted social distancing protocols. Thus, Hong Kong is a model case for the population-wide practice of effective social distancing and provides an opportunity to examine the impact of loneliness on mental health during the COVID-19. We conducted an anonymous online survey of 432 residents in Hong Kong to examine psychological distress in the community. The results indicate a dire situation with respect to mental health. An astonishing 65.6% (95% C.I. = [60.6%, 70.4%]) of the respondents reported clinical levels of depression, anxiety, and/or stress. Moreover, 22.5% (95% C.I. = [18.2%, 27.2%]) of the respondents were showing signs of psychosis risk. Subjective feelings of loneliness, but not social network size, were associated with increased psychiatric symptoms. To mitigate the potential epidemic of mental illness in the near future, there is an urgent need to prepare clinicians, caregivers and stakeholders to focus on loneliness.

Keywords

COVID-19
Global mental health
Loneliness
Depression
Anxiety
Psychosis

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