The impact of COVID-19 on global mental health: A brief

Globally, mental health is being challenged like never before by COVID-19. Whilst there are many uncertainties about how the pandemic will progress, what is clear is that the impact on the mental health and psychosocial well-being of those most affected will be significant. This is a pivotal moment in the history of mental health. How the world tackles these challenges now will determine the well-being of a generation, and impact the drive to successful recovery and building back societies stronger for the future.
This briefing provides an overview of some of the key issues regarding mental health and
COVID-19. It is based on the work of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UN agencies, and the feedback and inputs of partner organisations through the weekly COVID-19 and
mental health webinar series run by United for Global Mental Health and partners, and
initiatives including the Open Letter from civil society calling for inclusion of mental health in all national government COVID-19 response and recovery plans.