‘Covid-19 is wrecking people’s mental health’

The effects of the coronavirus pandemic is destroying our ability to connect with friends and family, disrupting our routines and consequently damaging our mental health, a professor of psychology has said.

“If you had designed a disease that was specifically figured out to wreck our mental health, Covid would be it,” Prof Laurie Santos told BBC Hardtalk’s Stephen Sackur.

Humans hate uncertainty, but the pandemic is seeing constantly changing lockdowns and a continued flux about when things will improve, all of which is bad for our mental health, she explained.

Watch the full interview on Tuesday 9 February 2021 on BBC World News or watch again on BBC iPlayer (UK only)

For information and support on mental health go to the BBC Action Line.