The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a mental health crisis in the Americas due to heightened stress and use of drugs and alcohol during six months of lockdowns and stay-at-home measures, the World Health Organization's regional director said.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a mental health crisis in our region at a scale we've never seen before," Carissa Etienne said in a virtual briefing from the Pan American Health Organization in Washington.
"It is urgent that mental health support is considered a critical component of the pandemic response."
