Covid’s effect on mental health not as great as first thought, study suggests

Researchers acknowledged that women experienced worsening anxiety, depression or general mental health symptoms during the pandemic. Photograph: Chromorange/Roeder/Alamy

Covid-19 may not have taken as great a toll on the mental health of most people as earlier research has indicated, a new study suggests.

The pandemic resulted in “minimal” changes in mental health symptoms among the general population, according to a review of 137 studies from around the world led by researchers at McGill University in Canada, and published in the British Medical Journal.