Rising loneliness levels in Fife blamed on lockdown and social distancing
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Mental health charities have called for people's mental health and wellbeing to be made a priority in the recovery from Covid-19.
An Office for National Statistics survey conducted between October 14 and February 22 asked people aged 16 and over if their well-being had been affected in the last seven days by the pandemic.
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Hide AdOf those in Fife who said it had, 43% attributed this to being lonely – across Britain, the average was 38.6%.
The ONS said young people were more likely to suffer from this form of “lockdown loneliness”.
Tom Madders, director of campaigns at mental health charity YoungMinds, said young people have experienced loneliness and isolation as Covid-19 has limited their social lives, education, or led to job losses.
“It’s important that young people know where to go to get support for their mental health if they are struggling and that they can access help as soon as they need it,” he added.
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Hide Ad“As we emerge from the pandemic, we’d like the Government to introduce a national network of early intervention hubs, with one in every community, where young people can find mental health support alongside advice on education and employment.”
The survey also found that 5.3% of adults in Fife said they felt lonely “often” or “always”, although the ONS cautioned that this was based on a small sample of the local population.