Mental distress in the UK rose sharply after five major events over the past decade, including Brexit, Liz Truss’s mini-budget, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the first two Covid lockdowns, a study found.
Researchers led by Dr Annie Jeffery of University College London analyzed annual data from 87,857 people aged 16 and older collected between 2009 and 2024. They found psychological distress was already rising at a clinically significant rate before accelerating from 2015 onward.
The first Covid lockdown produced an increase in mental ill-health equivalent to about 900,000 additional people seeking GP help for depression symptoms.
The effects persisted after the latest event in 2022, with distress remaining above the much lower levels recorded before 2016.
Monthly new referrals for mental ill-health increased from 360,000 in April 2022 to 530,000 in July 2026, a 47% rise. The findings come as Prof Peter Fonagy prepares to publish a government-commissioned inquiry into increases in diagnoses of mental illness, ADHD and autism.