Lockdowns Permanently Harm Mental Health

New study indicates deterioration in adolescents' mental health after lockdowns may be permanent

The deterioration in adolescent mental health has not improved despite the end of lockdowns, a new study of 64,000 13-18 year olds in Iceland shows, as reported by the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. “It is worrisome that we still see an increase in mental health problems among adolescents two years into the pandemic. And this is occurring despite social restrictions having been eased in Iceland,” said Thorhildur Halldorsdottir, assistant professor of psychology at Reykjavik University and senior author of the study. 

Change in depressive symptoms score and mental wellbeing score 2018-2022

The research team‘s earlier study, from 2021, showed an increase in depressive symptoms and a decrease in mental well-being within a year after lockdowns and school closures began. The new study shows those problems persist.

Interestingly the study authors link those worrying indications to the „Covid-19 pandemic“, carefully avoiding any mention of how school closures and lockdowns are not symptoms of a respiratory virus, but rather results of decisions made, often not based on any scientific evidence, but rather on political games.

It is especially worrisome to see such results in Iceland, where Covid-19 countermeasures were relatively milder than in many other countries. As the study shows, the impact on teenage girls is especially strong and clearly persists.