People who believe in fake news about COVID-19 more likely to have depression: study

• WHO says lockdowns caused spike in mental health issues.
• Depression highly correlated with belief in false information about pandemic.
• A common belief is governments exaggerating mortality rate.

A study has found that belief in false information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic is correlated with anxiety and depression.

The study, reported by Deutsche Welle, used two questionnaires online, the "COVID-19 Conspiratorial Beliefs Scale" and the "Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale" to look for the correlations between false beliefs and mental health.

The researchers said that certain beliefs were common among people. One of the conspiracy beliefs was governments exaggerating the mortality rate. Others included 5G spreading the virus and that wearing a mask could cause "oxygen deficiency".

While anxiety was moderately linked, depression was highly correlated with belief in erroneous information about the pandemic.

The study also suggested that there was a significant correlation between belief in false pieces of information and belief in broader conspiracy theories.

The WHO said that the lockdowns caused a spike in mental health issues. Depression and anxiety rose by 25% in the first year of the pandemic's emergence.

However, the study that shows correlation does not provide explanations for how the beliefs result in mental health issues.