THE impact of the Covid pandemic on the mental wellbeing of Bradford residents is unlikely to be clear until well after the crisis has ended.

During a meeting of Bradford Council's Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee, members said the only comparable event on public mental health to the past two years would be wartime periods.

Members were discussing the impact of the Covid Pandemic on mental health at the meeting last week.

Sarah Exall, consultant in public health, said that levels of anxiety and depression had fluctuated in the past 18 months, although the peak of the problems came before and in the early stages of lockdowns.

She said different living situations meant some people were harder hit by mental health problems during lockdown - people living in small, cramped homes were far more likely to suffer from mental health issues in lockdown than people in large homes with access to garden space.

She added: "We do predict a general widening of inequalities because of the different experiences of lockdown people have had.

"We predict an increase in demand for mental health services. Cases are now more complex because a lot of people haven't had the early help they normally would."

It would only be after the pandemic had passed that the true extent of its impact on mental health would be felt, she argued, adding: "We've seen with previous major national crises and major events that people live through that it is often after the event that people present in crisis.

Councillor Alun Griffith (Lib Dem, Idle and Thackley) pointed out that the nearest equivalent was wartime - it was often not until conflicts such as World War II had ended that the mental health impact on the country could be fully recognised.

Councillor Ralph Berry (Lab, Wibsey) said lockdowns had opened up trauma in the lives of many residents, and referring to the mental health impact of the pandemic said: "I think we will be talking about this issue for some time."

However, he said one positive had been the community spirit on show during the pandemic, with numerous examples of people coming together to help each other.

Cllr Griffith raised a similar point, saying: "Covid may have made people more willing to get involved in their community - there is that element of pulling together."

He pointed out that many of the mental health issues created during the pandemic were not from Covid, but reactions to it - such as implementing lockdowns. He said: "We've chosen to do things during Covid that may or may not have had an impact on mental health.

"When we're told on TV every night that we're all going to die it is not surprising that people now have high levels of stress and anxiety."