• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families

2

Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026

3

Exclusive: Universal beat Disney as Hollywood's maker of the most expensive movie of all time 

1

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families

2

Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026

3

Exclusive: Universal beat Disney as Hollywood's maker of the most expensive movie of all time 
Healthmental health

Depression symptoms among the employed in the U.K. have more than doubled since the start of the pandemic

By
Katherine Dunn
Katherine Dunn
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Katherine Dunn
Katherine Dunn
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 18, 2020, 9:57 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Our mission to help you navigate the new normal is fueled by subscribers. To enjoy unlimited access to our journalism, subscribe today.

Feeling down? You’re not the only one.

A troubling new report from the U.K. government’s statistics agency suggests the number of people who likely have depression has doubled compared to before the pandemic.

The report from the U.K.’s Office for National Statistics surveyed a representative group of Britons age 16 and older in June and found that one in five reported symptoms of moderate to severe depression, up from one in 10 respondents before the pandemic began.

Psychologists and other mental health experts polled by the U.K.’s Science Media Centre said they were not surprised by the results, but they warned that the mental health fallout of the pandemic and the economic crisis were likely just beginning.

“This is deeply troubling. We should not simply accept this as [the] ‘new norm,'” said Simon Wessely, Regius Professor of psychiatry at King’s College London. “It is new but anything but normal.”

The impact has been particularly extreme on groups that already reported higher-than-average rates of depression even before the pandemic: women, those who were financially vulnerable, and the disabled, the report said. But it also flagged a sharp jump in depression in adults under 40; around a third of respondents under 40 showed signs of depression.

One in four women reported symptoms, but women were more likely to report symptoms of depression both before and during the pandemic. One in three people who could not meet an unexpected cost of GBP 850 ($1,122) reported moderate to severe symptoms, as did one in three people with a disability.

While people who were jobless were far more likely than those with jobs to report heightened symptoms of depression—about one in four people—the survey suggested that being unemployed is just as hard on your mood now as it was pre-pandemic. Meanwhile, the number of survey respondents who were working and reported depression symptoms more than doubled from before the pandemic, to nearly one in five.

The mental health impact of the pandemic, lockdowns and economic crisis have been tracked in other countries as well. A U.S. Census Survey recently suggested up to one in three Americans are showing signs of depression.

Charley Baker, associate professor of mental health at the University of Nottingham, noted that it’s important to avoid “pathologizing” what may be reasonable responses to the uncertainty and fear of the pandemic.

“At the same time we need clear investing in services at primary and secondary level to ensure that those who begin to struggle more with their mood and anxiety get the additional support they need,” she added. “Perhaps we—all of us—need to reach in to proactively support people, rather than expecting people to reach out when this may be even more challenging than when in non-COVID times.”

Others warned that the deepening economic crisis, which in the U.K. includes the end of a furlough program that prevented more than 9 million Britons from being officially laid off in the midst of lockdown, was likely only to worsen the crisis.

“The most worrying aspect of these results in my view is that given the financial problems many are now experiencing, an increasing inability to pay bills is likely to lead to ever increasing levels of depression and anxiety,” said Elaine Fox, director of the Oxford Centre for Emotions at the University of Oxford.

“These economic factors are likely to play an important role in the nations mental health in the coming months and years.”

About the Author
By Katherine Dunn
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Health

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Health

The froyopocalypse is over. Gen Z is swarming frozen yogurt shops like it’s 2010
RetailGen Z
The froyopocalypse is over. Gen Z is swarming frozen yogurt shops like it’s 2010
By Sam Klebanov and Morning BrewJune 17, 2026
18 hours ago
Needles used to detect breast cancer in shortage from recall
Healthbreast cancer
Needles used to detect breast cancer in shortage from recall
By Annika Inampudi, Anna Edney and BloombergJune 17, 2026
18 hours ago
Best Father’s Day Gifts (2026): Make Dad’s Day Special
HealthDietary Supplements
Best Father’s Day Gifts (2026): Make Dad’s Day Special
By Christina SnyderJune 17, 2026
18 hours ago
Abhinav Agarwal and Jenny Duan
Startups & VentureBiotech
Exclusive: A 21-year-old Stanford grad just raised $11 million to put a hormone lab on your wrist
By Lily Mae LazarusJune 17, 2026
1 day ago
He fled Iran for the American Dream, became a millionaire, and could have retired—instead, he built the health tech that saved his father from cancer
SuccessFortune The Good Life
He fled Iran for the American Dream, became a millionaire, and could have retired—instead, he built the health tech that saved his father from cancer
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 17, 2026
1 day ago
‘It’s on us’: Luigi Mangione’s hearing delayed after DA failed to request him from jail
Lawcourts
‘It’s on us’: Luigi Mangione’s hearing delayed after DA failed to request him from jail
By Michael R. Sisak and The Associated PressJune 16, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
Economy
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
By Jacqueline MunisJune 17, 2026
18 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 17, 2026
1 day ago
Exclusive: Universal beat Disney as Hollywood's maker of the most expensive movie of all time 
Arts & Entertainment
Exclusive: Universal beat Disney as Hollywood's maker of the most expensive movie of all time 
By Christian SyltJune 17, 2026
1 day ago
'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream
Success
'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream
By Nick LichtenbergJune 16, 2026
2 days ago
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Big Tech
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
By Tristan BoveJune 15, 2026
3 days ago
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring a recent role: 'Nobody on that list gets that job'
Success
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring a recent role: 'Nobody on that list gets that job'
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 18, 2026
8 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.