Learning English

Coronavirus and mental health

As coronavirus spreads around the world, there is concern about the problems this is causing for people's mental as well as physical health. Neil and Catherine look at the vocabulary in the news around this story.

Watch the video and complete the activity

NEWS REVIEW PODCAST NOW AVAILABLE - SUBSCRIBE HERE

______________________________________________________________________________________

Did you like that? Why not try these? 

• Coronavirus: Staying active at home
• Coronavirus: Italy asks its population to stay at home
• Mental health in the workplace

______________________________________________________________________________________

The story

More than eight million people in the UK suffer from anxiety disorders. But the current concerns over the spread of the coronavirus and the restrictions on daily life have left many more people feeling under pressure.

Anxiety UK estimates it’s seen a rise of between 30 and 35 per cent in the number of calls to its helpline in the last couple of weeks.

The charity recommends that to reduce anxiety, people talk about their concerns, limit the time they spend listening to the latest developments, and find time to do things that distract them.

Key words and phrases

anxiety
a strong feeling of worry

• Anxiety has increased as a result of coronavirus.
• Charities are offering advice on how to manage anxiety.

isolation
the state of being alone

• People are struggling to entertain themselves while in isolation.
• Isolation can lead to loneliness.

taking a toll
causing harm over time

• All the late nights are taking a toll on Neil. He looks exhausted.
• Coronavirus is taking its toll on people’s mental health.

To do

Try our quiz to see how well you've learned today's language.

Downloads

You can download the audio and PDF document for this episode.

More

We hope you enjoyed News Review. You can find more episodes here.