Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Health to detail any research his Department has (i) undertaken; and (ii) funded, into the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on the mental health of the population, broken down by age group.
Minister of Health: The challenges faced by the population as result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the restrictions on everyday life are well documented and have significantly impacted mental health. It created very specific challenges to the psychological wellbeing and mental health of the whole population. Various reviews/studies have been commissioned or supported by my Department and its arms-length bodies.
In acknowledgment of the extra pressure placed on the population’s mental health during the pandemic, the Mental Health Action Plan – published by my Department on 19 May 2020 – included a dedicated Covid-19 Mental Health Response Plan. The Plan can be viewed at http://www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/mental-health-action-plan . A key commitment made in this plan was to the development of the Mental Health Strategy 2021-2031, which was published in June 2021.
In 2020, the Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing Surge Cell convened by the then Health and Social Care Board in order to provide evidence to the Department of Health, prepared a review paper to consolidate the research, knowledge and evidence on the impact of Covid-19 on key areas of mental health and emotional wellbeing and the likelihood of new inceptions of mental illness. It includes recommendations for ameliorating these – i.e. prevention, early intervention and recovery – and details priorities for further research. It examines the evidence relating to the whole population and includes sections relating to children and adolescents and older people, as well as other vulnerable groups. The report is available online at http://www.health-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/health/mh-impact-covid-pandemic.pdf .
In addition to the above review, the Department worked with the Mental Health Foundation and Queen’s University Belfast to produce the International Policy Guidance and Responses to Covid-19 Mental Health Recovery Rapid Review. This is also available online: http://www.health-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/health/international-policy-covid19.pdf . The main aim was to identify, analyse and present evidence to inform the response to mental health needs arising from, and/or being exacerbated by, the pandemic.
While not undertaken by the Department, the Public Health Agency (PHA) Research and Development (R&D) Division commissioned a call for rapid response research on Covid-19; a summary of papers and links to their reports is available online at https://research.hscni.net/covid-19-rapid-response-funding-call . A number of these had a mental health focus. All of the mental health and wellbeing papers explore the impact of Covid-19 on adults, but a number – especially related to self-harm/suicidal ideation – also include people aged 10 and over. Analyses of self-harm presentations (for ages 10+) can also be found as part of the PHA’s Self-Harm Registry for the relevant periods at
http://www.publichealth.hscni.net/publications/northern-ireland-registry-self-harm-regional-report-202021-and-202122 .
PHA R&D also funded the Student Psychological Intervention Trial, focused on tertiary level students, with data collected from October 2019 to Summer 2022. This study examined the effectiveness of a particular type of therapy. A follow-up study compared data collected prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, with data collected in Autumn 2020, when students were commencing their second year at college. More information is available at
https://research.hscni.net/sites/default/files/SPIT%20Final%20Report.pdf .
A further study into the impact of Covid-19 on children and young people (CYP)’s wellbeing will come from the PHA’s Allied Health Professionals CYP service. The work has set out to synthesise the available evidence (up to June 2024) from survey results, as well as from reports/research published by a range of sources, such as academic journals and third and statutory sector bodies. Included material comes from Northern Ireland, the UK more widely, and also from international sources. This study is not yet finalised, but its findings will be released in due course.
ENDS
Your MLA 