Covid lockdowns had a “catastrophic effect” on the nation’s social fabric and the most disadvantaged are no better off now than at the time of the financial crash. Some 13.4 million people lead lives marred by family fragility, stagnant wages, poor housing, chronic ill-health, and crime, the centre says. Twenty years ago, just one in nine children were assessed as having a clinically recognisable mental health problem, that figure is now one in five, rising to nearly one in four for those aged 17-19. There are likely to be 108% more boys with mental health disorders by 2030 than there would have been if the lockdown had not happened, the CSJ adds. The report has found that 40% of the most disadvantaged report having a mental health condition compared to just 13% of the general population.

Source: The Times December 10, 2023 08:17 UTC