What the pandemic taught us about mental health

More than half a decade on from the first lockdowns, the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted from daily reality to a chapter in our collective history. Yet its psychological legacy is still with us: in how Australians think about mental health, how care is delivered, and how some of us continue to carry anxiety, grief and disconnection from those years. Looking back from 2026, the pandemic was arguably the largest natural experiment in population mental health ever conducted, and it taught us hard lessons as well as hopeful ones. This article looks at what the evidence actually shows, what is worth carrying forward, and how the effects that still surface today can be treated.

What the pandemic revealed about our mental health

The early pandemic years placed genuine strain on Australians’ mental health. Prolonged lockdowns, financial uncertainty, disrupted schooling and separation from family combined into a sustained stressor unlike anything most of us had experienced. National data from the period painted a sobering picture, particularly for young people.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, conducted between 2020 and 2022, found that 42.9 per cent of Australians aged 16 to 85 had experienced a mental disorder at some point in their lives, and 21.5 per cent had experienced one in the previous 12 months.¹ The burden fell heaviest on the young: almost two in five people aged 16 to 24 (38.8 per cent) had a 12-month mental disorder, rising to 45.5 per cent among young women.¹ Anxiety disorders were the most common category across all ages.¹

These figures confirmed what psychologists were seeing in their consulting rooms: uncertainty, isolation and disrupted routines act directly on the things that keep us psychologically well: predictability, social connection, purposeful activity and a sense of control.

The telehealth transformation that stayed

If there is one structural change the pandemic delivered to Australian mental health care, it is telehealth. In March 2020, temporary Medicare items were introduced almost overnight so that psychological therapy could continue by video and phone. What began as an emergency measure proved so effective, and so valued by clients, that the Australian Government made telehealth a permanent part of Medicare from 1 January 2022.²

Research on the Better Access initiative documented a substantial shift of psychological services to telehealth during the lockdowns.⁵ Importantly, care continued rather than collapsed.⁵ Telehealth also removed barriers that had always existed but were rarely discussed: distance from the nearest psychologist, work and caring responsibilities, mobility limitations, or the anxiety of sitting in a waiting room.

In 2026, telehealth psychology is no longer a compromise or a stopgap. It is an established mode of evidence-based care that allows Australians in regional, rural and remote areas to access the same quality of psychological support as those in metropolitan centres.

Loneliness became a recognised public health issue

Before 2020, loneliness was often dismissed as a private misfortune. The pandemic changed that. Enforced separation made visible something researchers had long argued: social connection is a foundation of physical and mental health, not a luxury.

Australian data suggests the problem did not disappear when restrictions lifted. Ending Loneliness Together’s State of the Nation report on social connection, based on a survey of more than 4,000 Australian adults in 2023, found that nearly one in three adults reported feeling lonely, and around one in six reported severe loneliness, with young adults among the most affected.³ Loneliness is now treated in Australia as a public health priority in its own right.

The lesson is practical: connection needs to be built and maintained deliberately, the way we maintain physical fitness. It rarely happens by accident in modern life.

The resilience finding most people missed

Alongside the genuine distress, the research literature delivered a finding that received far less media attention: most people adapted. A widely cited review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies published in Psychological Medicine (Prati & Mancini, 2021) found that, on average, lockdowns had small effects on mental health symptoms, far smaller than many early predictions, and concluded that most people were psychologically resilient.⁴

This does not diminish the experience of those who struggled deeply, and averages can hide real suffering in vulnerable groups. But it is an important corrective to the idea that adversity inevitably causes lasting psychological damage. Resilience is not a rare trait possessed by a fortunate few; it is the most common trajectory after adversity, and it can be strengthened with deliberate practice and, where needed, professional support.

What we can carry forward

The pandemic forced millions of people to run an unplanned experiment on their own wellbeing. Several of the habits that helped then remain just as protective now:

• Routines as an anchor. Consistent sleep, movement, meals and daylight give the nervous system predictability. When life feels chaotic, structure is one of the fastest ways to restore stability.
• Deliberate connection. Lockdowns taught us that relationships survive on maintenance: the scheduled call, the standing walk, the regular family dinner. Treating connection as an appointment rather than an afterthought is a habit worth keeping.
• Normalised help-seeking. Perhaps the most valuable cultural shift of the pandemic era is that talking about mental health, and seeing a psychologist, became ordinary. Seeking support early, before problems become entrenched, is associated with better outcomes.
• Boundaries around information. The “doomscrolling” years showed how unlimited exposure to distressing news amplifies anxiety. Choosing when and how to consume news remains simple, effective self-care.
• Clarity about what matters. Many people used the disruption to re-evaluate work, relationships and priorities. Revisiting your values periodically, rather than waiting for a crisis to force the question, supports long-term wellbeing.

The effects that still linger in 2026, and how they are treated

For a meaningful minority of people, the pandemic’s psychological effects did not fade with the headlines. Three patterns continue to present in psychology practices, and all three respond well to evidence-based treatment.

Health anxiety

Years of symptom-checking, case numbers and risk calculations trained some minds into a state of persistent vigilance about illness. Health anxiety involves preoccupation with the fear of having or developing a serious illness, repeated checking or reassurance-seeking, and avoidance of medical information or settings. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has strong research support for health anxiety, helping people recalibrate their threat appraisals and break the checking–reassurance cycle.

Social re-adjustment

Some people never fully regained their pre-pandemic social confidence. Extended isolation can erode social ease, and for those already prone to social anxiety, years of “legitimate” avoidance allowed the anxiety to consolidate. Graded exposure and CBT-based approaches help people rebuild social confidence step by step, at a manageable pace.

Grief, including the complicated kind

Many Australians lost loved ones during the pandemic under uniquely painful circumstances: farewells over video calls, restricted funerals, borders that kept families apart. Grief that could not follow its natural course sometimes becomes prolonged or complicated, persisting with an intensity that interferes with daily life years later. Grief and loss counselling provides a structured, compassionate space to process what happened, and prolonged grief responds well to targeted psychological therapy.

When to seek support

It can be hard to judge when an ordinary struggle warrants professional help. As a general guide, consider speaking with a psychologist or your GP if:

• anxiety, low mood, grief or worry has persisted for more than a few weeks and is not improving;
• you are avoiding places, people or activities that matter to you;
• sleep, appetite, concentration or work performance are noticeably affected;
• you rely on alcohol or other substances to cope;
• loneliness or disconnection feels entrenched despite your efforts; or
• you are having thoughts of self-harm or suicide, in which case contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, or call 000 if you are in immediate danger.

Seeking help is the same practical step you would take for any other health concern, and earlier support generally means an easier path back.

Frequently asked questions

Is it normal to still feel affected by the pandemic in 2026?

Yes. Significant collective events leave long psychological tails, and research on previous disasters shows that grief, anxiety and changed health behaviours can persist for years in some people. Ongoing difficulty is understandable and treatable. The passage of time does not disqualify you from seeking support.

Is telehealth psychology as effective as seeing someone in person?

A substantial body of research indicates that therapies such as CBT can be delivered effectively by video for many common conditions, including anxiety and depression, with outcomes broadly comparable to face-to-face care for many clients. In practice, the best format is the one you will attend consistently, and many people combine both.

What does treatment for health anxiety involve?

Treatment typically uses cognitive behavioural therapy to address the thinking patterns that drive the fear of illness, while gradually reducing checking, reassurance-seeking and avoidance. Most people work through a structured series of sessions, learning skills they continue to use independently.

How do I know if my grief needs professional support?

Grief has no fixed timetable, and there is no “correct” way to mourn. However, if grief remains so intense that it dominates daily life, if you feel stuck or unable to engage with the world, or if the loss occurred under traumatic circumstances you have not been able to process, a psychologist who works with grief and loss can help you find a way forward.

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2023). National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, 2020–2022. ABS.
2. Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Telehealth: permanent Medicare telehealth arrangements from 1 January 2022.
3. Ending Loneliness Together. (2023). State of the Nation Report. Social Connection in Australia 2023.
4. Prati, G., & Mancini, A. D. (2021). The psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns: a review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies and natural experiments. Psychological Medicine, 51(2), 201–211.
5. Reay, R. E., Kisely, S. R., & Looi, J. C. L. (2021). Better Access: substantial shift to telehealth for allied mental health services during COVID-19 in Australia. Australian Health Review.

If any of the experiences described here feel familiar, support is closer than it once was, another quiet legacy of those years. Mind Health’s Ahpra-registered psychologists have been supporting the Parramatta community since 2004 and now provide telehealth appointments Australia-wide, so wherever you live, you can request an appointment and take the first step from home.

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