Today the Telegraph is launching a new campaign called Mental Health Emergency, which highlights the urgency of protecting Britons' mental health during the pandemic
"Here is the thing that all mental health conditions have in common: they thrive by isolating you" | writes @bryony_gordon https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/mind/mental-health-emergency-living-crisis-cant-ignored/
As part of our new campaign, we've spoken to people from various walks of life about their struggles with the 'new normal' https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/mind/mental-health-emergency-lockdown-really-minds/
David Lyons, 85, retired railways technical officer, Luton
"I spent Christmas by myself – it was the first one I had ever spent alone. I arranged a delivery of a meal that needed to be microwaved but I couldn’t even face eating it"
"I spent Christmas by myself – it was the first one I had ever spent alone. I arranged a delivery of a meal that needed to be microwaved but I couldn’t even face eating it"
Jemma Scanlan, 41, mother-of-three, St Albans
"I feel anxious and overwhelmed pretty much all of the time. I’ve never cried so much in my life – every day during this third lockdown"
"I feel anxious and overwhelmed pretty much all of the time. I’ve never cried so much in my life – every day during this third lockdown"
Yelena Zylko, 22, first year psychology student at Sussex University
"Being a student this past year has been a bit like being some sort of pariah. The constant anxiety is crippling, and First Year is hard enough as it is"
"Being a student this past year has been a bit like being some sort of pariah. The constant anxiety is crippling, and First Year is hard enough as it is"
Sir John Timpson, 77, chairman of @Timpson’s Shoe Repairs, Cheshire
"I have often struggled with depression myself, so I know how important it is to care about the mental health of my team"
"I have often struggled with depression myself, so I know how important it is to care about the mental health of my team"
Loretta Smith, 67, widow and shielder, Surrey
"It’s difficult not to be overwhelmed by loneliness. I find myself glued to the news, watching the death count climbing, and I’m becoming too frightened to leave my front door for a walk"
"It’s difficult not to be overwhelmed by loneliness. I find myself glued to the news, watching the death count climbing, and I’m becoming too frightened to leave my front door for a walk"
The specialists weigh in on the long-term effects of coronavirus https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/mind/mental-health-emergency-experts-warn-fallout-will-last-years/
“At the moment we can hide behind the fact we have to save lives. Once death rates and hospitalisations are down, we have to really start thinking about the mental health costs” - Sir Simon Wessely, president of the @rcpsych
“There is an awful lot of fragility around. And mental health has to be right at the heart of the recovery" - Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of @MindCharity
We want to hear about how lockdown has impacted your mental health
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/mind/has-lockdown-impacted-mental-health-want-hear/

"I can't seem to envisage the end – our Covid Victory Day!" https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/mind/mental-health-emergency-telegraph-readers-share-experiences/
New data suggests the proportion of British men with depression has doubled, from 7 to 15%, during the pandemic https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/mind/podcasts-virtual-therapy-groups-have-become-unexpected-ally/
"Being a new mother in lockdown has made me feel like a failure," writes @hatttiegladwell https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/mind/mental-burden-new-parents-trying-best-no-support-doesnt-seem/
In the year to May 2020, there were a record 81,000 drug overdose deaths in America https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/need-applause-musicians-falling-back-addiction-lockdown/
The Department of Health recommends adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/mind/do-love-expose-forearms-maximise-mental-health-benefits-exercise/
"I felt sheer panic all the time, and I couldn’t concentrate or make simple decisions. Even making a cup of tea became impossible" https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/juggling-work-childcare-made-have-mental-breakdown/
Almost 2/3 of workers at small and medium-sized enterprises feel their mental health has suffered as a result of Covid-19 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/01/14/businesses-responding-covid-19-mental-health-crisis/
The singer ran The Kitchen Discos for 10 weeks during the first lockdown https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/sophie-ellis-bextor-felt-like-failure-parent-first-lockdown/
"Once, it was a baby’s screams that set me off...It reminded me of the phone calls I’ve made to families bereaved by Covid" https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/mind/life-icu-doctor-have-panic-attacks-bus-way-hospital/