Psychological distress rises during coronavirus 2nd wave

Psychological distress has increased during the second wave of the coronavirus epidemic in all parts of Finland, said the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) in a press release on Tuesday.

Distress has grown especially among those of working age. Fourteen percent of Finns reported psychological symptoms and distress in 2020. In 2018 the corresponding figure was 12 percent said the THL based on the recent National FinSote Survey.

However, thoughts of suicide did not increase. In 2020 suicidal thoughts were more common among those of working age: One in ten people between the ages of 20 and 54 said they had experienced suicidal thoughts, as did 3 percent of those aged 55-74 and 2 percent of those aged 75 and over.

“With the increase in psychological distress, the use of mental health services by those aged 20-54 increased. Women seek help for mental health problems more frequently than men do. One positive change is that a larger proportion of men aged 20-54 who had experienced thoughts of suicide had sought help for mental health issues”, said THL research professor Jaana Suvisaari.

According to the FinSote Survey the percentages of residents with significant psychological distress were highest in Helsinki (17 %), Pirkanmaa (16 %), and in Päijät-Häme (15 %), and was lowest in Central Ostrobothnia (10 %).

The use of health services for mental health problems was most common in areas where symptoms were the most common.

Psychological distress increased in Kymenlaakso, Päijät-Häme, Pirkanmaa, Central Finland, Ostrobothnia, and Kainuu. Contributing factors are apparently not limited to how difficult the epidemic situation has been in an area.

During the coronavirus pandemic it has been more difficult to get an appointment with a doctor, nurse, and dentist.

When comparing the situation in 2020 with that in 2018 the proportion of people who had not received adequate medical services increased both among both men (19% vs. 14%) and women (21% vs. 17%).

Difficulties in getting health services grew most among men aged 20-54. Of them, 19 percent said that they had not received sufficient services considering their needs, while the corresponding figure in 2018 was 13 percent.

The greatest change was observed in dental services. Among adults needing dental services, 24 percent, about 550,000 of the entire population, say that they have been getting less dental care than they would have needed. In 2018 the corresponding figure was 19 percent.

Increased difficulties in getting an appointment with a doctor, nurse, or dentist appear to have focused on the areas worst hit by the epidemic.

“The results are a cause for concern if people do not get the treatment that they need. Existing diseases can get worse and undiagnosed problems might not be noticed in time. Regional development suggests that the coronavirus epidemic has also made access to services more difficult. It is important to ascertain which population and customer groups have suffered especially from poor access to services, to make it possible to correctly target measures to fix the situation”, said Anna-Mari Aalto, Chief Specialist at THL.

National FinSote 2020 Survey was implemented between September 2020 and February 2021.