‘AM I GIVING YOU WHAT YOU NEED?’
The UK is the sick man of Europe: more people have died here (75,000 by early January) than in any European country except Italy, and the death rate of 112 per 100,000 is exceeded only by a handful of our continental neighbours: Belgium, Italy and San Marino.
Covid affects everything you do and can’t do, every one you see and can’t see. The new, more virulent strain that has taken hold in the past few weeks meant families were kept apart over Christmas, with pubs and restaurants closed and town centres deserted.
There is mass anxiety. Not just if I get it, will I die, but will my job survive, will I ever see my grandchildren again, what about my dream of university life, my holiday in the South of France, my baby due in March, my big fat wedding plans? Everything is affected, everything is unsure.
For 80% of young people with existing mental-health issues, the pandemic has worsened their situation, with the loneliness and isolation of the various lockdowns exacerbating things. University students are struggling with
