Of the coronavirus’s many side effects, perhaps the least appreciated are psychological.

The pandemic is causing an epidemic of anxiety and depression, especially among young people https://trib.al/QjdVvx3 

In the U.S., there’s been a rapid increase in the national rates of anxiety and depression in the second quarter, compared to the same period in 2019:

Anxiety tripled: 8.1% to 25.5%
Depression quadrupled: 6.5% to 24.3% https://trib.al/QjdVvx3 

It’s the youngest adults who are suffering the most mental anguish, as studies in the U.S. and U.K. have shown.

That might seem surprising, since the virus doesn’t pose much of a danger to them https://trib.al/QjdVvx3 

Yet older adults already built their lives before the pandemic -- with routines, careers and relationships to fall back on.

The young had not, and were embarking on that adventure when Covid-19 struck https://trib.al/QjdVvx3 

The social lives and job-hunting networks of the youth have paused:

Schools and universities have been shut
Summer camps aren't a thing
Cancelled internships and job offers
Concerts and parties are banned https://trib.al/QjdVvx3 

Zoom calls and apps don’t quite cut it. We’re like other primates who rely on physical touch to lower cortisol levels.

The result, especially for the hormonal young, is isolation and loneliness which becomes listlessness, despair and depression https://trib.al/QjdVvx3 

Then there’s the unprecedented uncertainty that Covid-19 has foisted on all of us.

The pandemic has called off all plans, and planning https://trib.al/QjdVvx3 

Young or old, individuals differ in where they rank on the so-called Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale.

The less a person is able to embrace uncertainty, the more likely they are to enter worry spirals. This wreaks havoc the brain, causing severe anxiety https://trib.al/QjdVvx3 

The spread of anxiety and depression is enough of a blight to rank alongside viral transmission as a concern. The scars will be long-term:

Delayed learning
Broken relationships
Abandoned dreams https://trib.al/QjdVvx3 

Policy makers must find more money and help for those with problems.

Globally, there’s fewer than one mental-health professional for every 10,000 sufferers, most of whom get no treatment at all https://trib.al/QjdVvx3 

For us as individuals, it means we need to brace ourselves, and reach out to those who might need support.

Everything still remains entirely uncertain -- the year 2020 seems to be asking all of us to deal with that https://trib.al/QjdVvx3