Hidden and unsuspected effects, recently discovered by scientists: the coronavirus pandemic represents the greatest threat to mental health since the end of World War II to the present, experts claim. The impact will be devastating and will last for years, says Dr. Adrian James, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the UK, quoted by dailymail.co.uk.

Even when the virus is under control, after the population is vaccinated, the effects of the pandemic will be intensely felt. The loss of loved ones, the lack of a job, a precarious financial situation and the social effects of quarantine and isolation are the main triggers of mental health problems. In fact, the whole year 2020 was marked by anxiety and insecurity and more and more people need specialized help to overcome these conditions.

Several organizations of psychologists and psychiatrists have warned that there was a 15 percent increase in the number of people who had a crisis of depression or associated with a mental illness between March and July 2020. The situation will worsen, especially as more and more countries take drastic measures at the beginning of 2021.

"All of these people will need specialized help for the depression they are struggling with. There will also be patients who have survived the disease, but are dealing with post-traumatic stress, usually associated with experiences in armed conflicts," Dr. James explained.

Leading experts have also warned that the number of cases of suicide, self-harm, alcoholism or other substances, as well as domestic violence will increase as people realize that life, as they knew it before the Covid-19 pandemic, is no longer possible.