in one month, “the mental health of the French has deteriorated considerably”

Public Health France indicates that the prevalence of depressive disorders “doubled between the end of September (11%) and the beginning of November (21%)”.

© afp.com/PHILIPPE DESMAZES
Public Health France indicates that the prevalence of depressive disorders

Second wave, second imprisonment: As the health crisis deepens and bad news accumulates, the mental health of the French is showing new signs of deterioration, Public Health France points out in its weekly report published Thursday.

The health authority indicates that the prevalence of depressive disorders “doubled between the end of September (11%) and the beginning of November (21%)”. It is between 18-24 years (+ 16 points) and between 25-34 years (+ 15) that the increase is most marked, as well as for the inactive (+ 15) and people who declare a very difficult financial situation (+ 14).

READ ALSO >> “Am I going to hold on?” : a second psychologically harsher imprisonment

Two weeks after the start of this new confinement, the report concludes in a nutshell that “the mental health of the French deteriorated significantly between the end of September and the beginning of November with a significant increase in depressive states for the entire population (+10 points) “.

A phenomenon of “addiction” during the first birth

We can also see a class disparity with regard to imprisonment. During the last survey conducted between 4 and 6 November, 35% of people who declare a very difficult financial situation said they were in a state of depression, compared to 14% of those who declare a good financial situation.

Public health France also observed between the end of August and the beginning of November “a continuous and globally significant increase in states of anxiety (+ 3) as well as a decrease in life satisfaction (- 4 points)”, changes despite everything less marked depression.

READ ALSO >> False claims and “little lies”: how the French defraud the reconfirmation

Enguerrand Du Roscoät, head of the mental health unit within the Department for the prevention and promotion of public health health in France, stressed on 5 November that “the fact that the crisis lasts, that we have the difficulty in seeing the result may have more of an effect on depressive disorders than on anxiety disorders, which have more of a warning role. “

In spring, during the first birth, “after a week, we had a very high prevalence of anxiety disorders, with about 27% versus 13.5%” in the usual period “, he also observes. depressive disorders, with 20% at the beginning of childbirth, double the normal. But these two indicators had improved as the delivery progressed, probably Enguerrand Du Roscoät considered it an “addiction” phenomenon. Logically, they had continued to rise when the imprisonment was lifted, but without returning to pre-crisis levels.