A report in The Lancet provides the first global estimates of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in 2020, and suggests an additional 53 million cases of major depressive disorder and 76 million cases of anxiety disorders were due to the pandemic. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders – which can increase the risk of other health outcomes such as suicide – were major contributors to the global burden of disease, affecting millions of men and women of all ages around the world. This study is the first to assess global impacts of the pandemic on major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders, quantifying the prevalence and burden of the disorders by age, sex, and location in 204 countries and territories in 2020.