Cases of depression and anxiety surged by more than a quarter globally during the first year of the pandemic, especially among women and young adults, a major study showed.

In the first worldwide estimate of the mental health impact of Covid-19, researchers estimated that 2020 saw an additional 52 million people suffer from major depressive disorder, and an additional 76 million cases of anxiety, according to an AFP report.

These represent a 28- and 26-per cent increase in the two disorders respectively, according to the study, published in The Lancet medical journal.