Covid-19 pandemic - lockdown exacerbates depression

The spring lockdown had a much stronger impact on depressed people than on the general population. Now psychiatrists fear the current lockdown light will create a vicious circle that will further aggravate the depression.

According to the German Depression Aid Foundation more than five million people in Germany suffer from depression. Compared to the general population this population

group suffered significantly more exposure to the Covid-19 pandemic due to the lockdown in the spring according to the Germany Barometer Depression (PDF). Ulrich Hegerl the chairman of the foundation expects similar effects for the current partial lockdown of the Federal Republic.

The data collected by the foundation show that the treatment of every second depressed patient was limited by the lockdown in some cases significantly. Most often hospital stays and doctor's appointments have been postponed or canceled completely. A.

Clinics focus on Covid-19

As Hegerl explains the clinics are currently providing more resources for the treatment of Covid 19 patients. From the point of view of the foundation this occurs primarily at the expense of people with depression or another mental illness although as Hegerl explains Depression is a serious often life-threatening illness that urgently needs treatment.

Lockdown promotes arguments and a lack of daily structures

In addition the survey of 5,000 people between the ages of 18 and 69 carried out in June and July 2020 shows that almost three quarters (74%) of people with depression found the lockdown depressing. In the general population it was 59 percent.

Depressed people also often (75%) suffered from the lack of daily structure. At 39 percent the proportion in the general population was also significantly lower here.

In addition the lockdown caused additional conflicts and arguments in more than a third (43 percent) of the depressed study participants. In contrast there are less than a fifth (18%) of the general population.

In response to lockdown 48 percent of people with depression stayed in bed during the day. In the general population it was 21 percent.

Vicious circle for depressed people

Overall according to Hegerl these changes in behavior create a vicious circle. According to the psychiatrist the lack of day-to-day structure increases the risk that depressed people will withdraw even further and that their depression will worsen through long bed times.

Hegerl predicts that the withdrawal into your own four walls as a result of this second part lockdown will again have many negative effects for people with depression. The psychiatrist explains that the lockdown leaves the already depressed person even more thought-provoking which can lead to them falling deeper into the depression. Treatment options such as telephone and video consultation hours as well as online programs are not an alternative for many patients according to Hegerl. Compared to before however these options were increasingly used in the first lockdown.