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The five-year mental health impact of COVID-19: Lived experiences

With five years having now passed since the onset of COVID-19, we’re seeing emerging research into the long-term impact of such an extreme world event. This isn’t unusual, with a variety of extreme events being the subject of research but, when discussing COVID-19's impact, especially on mental health, we believe the focus shouldn’t be on data alone.

We recently completed our own research into the mental health impact of COVID-19 on young adults and parents to grasp the size of the issue, but we also wanted to shine a light on lived experiences. The below article compiles the real experiences of young people in the UK, offering insight into lived experiences.

Table of contents

Darcy, Bournemouth

"I always struggled with depression, but lockdown intensified my mental health issues and made it difficult to maintain friendships. I developed a fear of leaving the house. Online learning was a challenge – I couldn’t engage with my teachers, and I didn’t feel I could ask for help. What I needed was proper professional support. Since the pandemic, I’ve struggled to maintain stable employment, adapt to work environments and build friendships. I still feel isolated at times and often wonder where I’d be if COVID hadn’t happened."

Darcy was 15 and in secondary school when the UK first went into lockdown, leading to school closures. The disruption was significant, with challenges such as inadequate resources and limited support. She also felt disconnected from friends and found lessons far less enjoyable.

Her year group was the first to return to in-person exams rather than relying on predicted grades, leaving her feeling underprepared. As a result, she did not achieve the GCSE results she had hoped for. This meant she was unable to join her school’s sixth form, separating her from the friendships and support networks she had built over the past five years.

Starting at a new college, she struggled with anxiety and attendance. Darcy had always battled depression, but the isolation of lockdown worsened her mental health struggles. Despite her best efforts, the decision was made to defer her studies to focus on recovery. When she returned, her struggles continued and, five weeks before her final exams, she made the difficult decision to drop out.

Darcy had a mentor at both school and college due to her pre-existing struggles, but most students did not have access to the same support. The professional support that could have helped her with the additional challenges she was facing wasn’t available.

Since leaving education, Darcy has found it difficult to maintain stable employment and she currently works part-time. She attributes much of her struggle to the lasting impact of COVID-19, which has shaped her life over the past five years.

Lily, Hereford

When lockdown first began in 2020, Lily was in Year 11. As a result, she was unable to sit her GCSEs and experienced an extended period away from education. This had a huge impact on her mental health, not only because of the social isolation that affected everyone, but also due to the sudden disconnect from education and the lack of goals to work towards.

Both of her parents were frontline workers. Her mother as a midwife and her father in health and safety, this meant that her younger brother was still in school and that she spent most days alone. Over time this isolation, combined with being out of education at what felt like such a key time, affected her anxiety.

As Lily says “I have always placed high expectations on myself to perform well academically, especially in exams. However, having my GCSE’s and to an extent my A Levels, taken out of my control only intensified this pressure. The experience has definitely had a lasting impact on how I approach situations such as exams or competitions."

Millie, Kent

Millie was in counselling during sixth form for anxiety and a mild eating disorder just before COVID-19 struck. However, once the lockdowns began, Millie could no longer access that support and struggled significantly. As someone who deals with health anxiety, it was an especially frightening time for her.

Millie had planned to start university in September 2020 but, due to her anxiety—which was worsened by the pandemic - she decided to defer for a year. Now at university, she can still feel the lasting effects, particularly in their first year when everything was still online.

Millie feels as though she missed out on the opportunity to form the friendships that are often expected during that time. This has had a snowball effect, as her course focuses on independent study, and much of the work relies on online resources rather than in-person attendance.

What our research shows

These experiences are not as far removed from the reality of most young people as you may think. Our research found that the lasting impact of COVID-19 on young people’s education, mental health, and social lives was significant. We found that 60% of 18-25-year-olds experienced educational disruptions, with 40% feeling their career progression was hindered. Mental health struggles remain significant, with 45% still experiencing negative effects today, and 37% reporting worsened mental health since the pandemic.

Alongside young people, we also found that parents face ongoing challenges in supporting their children post-pandemic. 58% of parents we surveyed said they found it difficult to help their child adjust and 63% felt unable to fully understand their child’s lockdown challenges. Long-term concerns persist, with 67% prioritising their child’s emotional wellbeing more than before and 31% believing the pandemic negatively affected their child’s mental health.

Why this matters to us

Accessible and high-quality mental health support are at the heart of everything we do and, with research like this survey, we are better able to establish the needs of people in the UK and beyond. We can see that the COVID-19 pandemic is still impacting the wellbeing of people five years later and believe that there is more to be done in supporting people as they navigate the world post-pandemic.

As we work to put a spotlight on this issue, we hope that we can reduce stigma around seeking support for mental health concerns and encourage people to explore the help available to them.

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