Mental health declining for millions

Around one in four adults in the UK – more than 13,3 million people – have developed mental health issues related to the impacts of the Covid-19 crisis, shows new research from digital board game group Marmalade Game Studio.

The research reveals that 54% of adults say they have suffered from a range of issues including stress, anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts since the crisis started in March 2020.

However, 25% of people say their mental health issues started purely because of the pandemic, while 31% were already concerned about their mental health and say the impact of Covid-19 made them feel worse.

“The combination of a global health crisis and a global economic crisis is bound to have affected mental health and made people feel stressed and anxious,” says Cristina Mereuta, co-CEO at Marmalade Game Studio. “People have had to cope often on their own because of the impact of lockdowns, without being able to talk to others about their very real worries about their own situation and that of loved ones.”

The research from Marmalade Game Studio, which publishes popular digital board games such as Monopoly, Taboo, Cluedo, and Jumanji, shows that 44% of adults say their mental health has been stable during the crisis, while around 5% – roughly 2,8 million people – say their mental health has improved.

Digital gaming has proved to be an important source of support for mental health – according to Statista.com, 16% of gamers in the European Union say being able to play games online and connect with others, particularly families, helped during lockdowns, while 42% say playing multiplayer games during lockdown made them happier.

Marmalade Game Studio has recently introduced Bubble in-game video chat as a way to help people stay in touch. This allows gamers to add friends and family to group chats, start games from these chats, and video chat whilst playing.