Nearly three in five people (57%) have taken harmful actions to cope with poor mental health in the past month, according to research from the Mental Health Foundation.
The research which polled 4,000 people to mark the first day of Mental Health Awareness Week (11 to 17 May), reveals widespread use of unhealthy coping mechanisms by people when they are “stressed, anxious, or low”.
Nearly three in five people (57%) had taken harmful actions to cope with poor mental health in the past month. A significant proportion of the UK population report isolating themselves (25%) or spending more time scrolling social media and online (23%) as a way to cope with anxiety, stress and low mood, despite a strong body of evidence which suggests these actions can be harmful to individuals.
Doomscrolling and bedrotting
But the research also showed under 35s were significantly more likely to use social media more than usual to address negative emotions – sometimes called doomscrolling – (37%) than those between 35 to 54 (27%) or those 55+ (9%). They were also more likely to isolate themselves (33%) than those older than them (28% and 16% for 35 to 54 and 55+ respectively.)
Other harmful actions that a significant number cited to cope with their mental health included comfort eating or overeating (22%), and oversleeping/not getting out of bed (20%) – increasingly referred to by some as bed rotting.
Making the situation worse
Mark Rowland, chief executive at the Mental Health Foundation, said: “This polling tells us that, despite the progress in increasing awareness around mental health, too many of us have yet to translate awareness into effective action. Instead, our data shows a concerning number of people, especially young people, are taking actions to cope with poor mental health that could be making their situation worse.”
Rowland maintained that more than 25 years of Mental Health Awareness Week, where there have been calls that the UK has reached peak awareness on mental health, its record levels of poor mental health, and with the data showing that many people are coping through harmful actions, it is clear there is still so much more to be done.
“To address the UK’s mental health crisis, people must be equipped with the skills and understanding of which actions improve our mental health, and to know which actions may feel good in the short term but worsen our mental health over time,” he continued.
“Behaviours like self-isolation, doomscrolling and bed-rotting are not only potentially harmful in themselves, but they can also cut us off from the positive influences on our mental health, like community and connection to nature.”
Accessing nature
However, the research also indicated a significant number of people are taking helpful actions that can reduce the risk of poor mental health – 72% of people had taken at least one helpful action to support their mental health, with the most popular being accessing nature (30%), doing something enjoyable like a hobby (28%), and taking part in physical activity (27%).
Though half of people in the UK (50%) are doing at least one harmful coping mechanism alongside their positive supporting actions. This is more than twice the proportion only taking helpful actions which we know support mental health (21%).
More action needed
Rowland continued: “While harmful coping mechanisms are far too widespread, especially among young people, the good news is that many people in the UK are also taking actions that can improve their mental health.
“Connecting with nature, spending time with others, doing things we love, and getting moving are all great ways to keep our mood positive and address anxieties and stress. Encouraging people to drop the negative coping mechanisms, and instead only focus on those actions which improve mental health, is vital to tackling poor mental health in the UK.
Rowland added more action is needed across the country, from an individual to a political level, to create the conditions to support mental health.
“We are calling on the government to take bold action to respond to the mental health crisis and prevent poor mental health at a time when many people are feeling the strain from increasing uncertainty, financial pressures and increasing isolation,” he continued.
“It is good news that especially during difficult times, people are finding ways to prioritise and protect their mental health and support those around them.”