Say what? BBC says mental health problem from lockdown was ‘minimal’ and Twitter reacted with impressively grim humour

As you would expect, the tweet/study did not sit well with, well, anyone who experienced the pandemic. Picture: Tracey Adams/African News Agency (ANA)

As you would expect, the tweet/study did not sit well with, well, anyone who experienced the pandemic. Picture: Tracey Adams/African News Agency (ANA)

Published Mar 17, 2023

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People have since gone on a riot, sharing their most "unhinged lockdown behaviour" during the pandemic as they spoke about their meltdowns and how they overcame the loneliness in those times.

This came about after a report published in the British Medical Journal, led by researchers at McGill University in Canada, went viral for claiming that the mental health crisis during the Covid-19 pandemic may not have been as "severe" as thought.

After the research gained popularity, several people expressed concern about its validity and went on a photo-sharing binge to document their own days of "meltdowns" during the lockdown time, some of which are strange but not implausible.

The report, which was first publicised by the media outlet Deutsche Welle, contained information from over 137 additional research.

Although the report had data from over 30 countries, predominantly middle- to high-income nations, it did not make a distinction between those who received or did not get Covid-19, according to Buzzfeed's findings.

Several people questioned the veracity of the data and went on a picture binge, sharing their days of "meltdowns" during the lockdown time, some of which appear weird but not unreal, as the claims of the research made by numerous media organisations went viral.

Users have filled the comments section of one such story carried by the British broadcaster BBC, accusing the government of inadequate mental crisis treatment while sharing their own coping strategies.

As you would expect, the tweet/study did not sit well with, well, anyone who experienced the pandemic, whose experiences more closely matched a World Health Organization report that the pandemic had caused a "25% rise in (the) incidence of anxiety and depression globally."

Individuals started replying to the post with lockdown behaviours that refuted the dubious study and more accurately represented what we all experienced in 2020. During the Covid-19 epidemic, according to a tweet from @ohevie, they celebrated the birthday of their dishwasher.

When they revealed their coping techniques, users filled the comments section with complaints about the government's terrible handling of the mental crisis. The best responses are listed below:

A user humorously commented on the viral christening photo from a ceremony when the priest used a squirt gun during the 'baptism', "Yes we all did great", they commented, while posting the image.

— TechnicallyRon (@TechnicallyRon) March 15, 2023

Twitter user @TechnicallyRon responds ironically

Another user described how she and her former boyfriend constantly tracked the development of a plant they dubbed their "tall son" at their house.

— gremlin girl (@manicbitchface) March 12, 2023

A plant Mom and Dad measured the growth of their plant new growth everyday, marked it on the wall with a pencil and referred to it as their “tall son”

One Twitter user established a glass zone with their roommates where they would toss and smash bottles as therapy.

Twitter user @SonicJen crocheted a roll of…[wait for it]... toilet paper!

Twitter user @SanFilicisco and their beer glass corner

— SonicJen (@SonicJen) March 12, 2023

Twitter user @SonicJen picked up crochet during lockdown

The research, which was first carried by media outlet Deutsche Welle, reportedly contained information from more than 137 previous studies, according to Hindustan Times. Although the report had data from over 30 countries, predominantly middle- to high-income nations, it did not make a distinction between those who received or did not get Covid-19.

Several people questioned the veracity of the data and went on a picture binge, sharing their days of "meltdowns" during the lockdown time, some of which appear weird but not unreal, as the claims of the research made by numerous media organisations went viral.

Read the latest issue of IOL Health digital magazine here.