In a message for World Mental Health Day, Cardinal Peter Turkson, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, linked lockdowns with increased mental illness.

“The social restrictions imposed by the first phase of the emergency led to an increase in the abuse of alcohol and other psychotropic substances, as well as the exacerbation of various forms of addiction, including gambling,” he said. “It is precisely the measures taken to combat the Covid 19 virus that have been a further cause of loneliness for people with mental disorders.”

During his October 10 Angelus address, Pope Francis also mentioned World Mental Health Day, praying for suicide victims and their families.