A new CDC survey found that nearly 41% of respondents struggle with mental health issues arising from the pandemic – both in relation to the coronavirus pandemic itself and the measures put in place to address it to include, including physical distance and orders from home.
“Markedly increased incidence of reported adverse mental and behavioral health conditions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic marks the broad impact of the pandemic and the need to prevent and treat these conditions,” CDC researchers wrote in the report.
The survey found that 40.9% of respondents reported at least one mental or behavioral disorder:
- 31% said they have symptoms of anxiety or depression,
- 26% said they had experienced symptoms of trauma or stressor-related disorder,
- 13% said they started using drugs,
- 11% said they have committed serious suicide in the last 30 days.
All of these did not seem to equalize mental health issues.
For example, the survey found that at least one adverse mental or behavioral illness was reported by more than half of the respondents who were:
- 18 to 24 years old, at 75%;
- unpaid adult caregivers, at 67%;
- reported that they had less than a high school diploma, at 66%;
- essential workers, at 54%;
- 25 to 44 years old, at 52%.
The percentage among those who reported being treated for existing mental health situations was even higher.
The percentage of survey respondents who reported that they had seriously considered suicide within 30 days of completing the survey also differed among subgroups that conducted the survey. Percentages were significantly higher under:
- even reported unpaid caregivers for adults, at 31%;
- ages 18–24 years, at 26%;
- essential workers, at 22%;
- Hispanic respondents, at 19%;
- Black respondents, at 15%.
In all, the researchers found that although symptoms of mental or behavioral health conditions differed significantly among subgroups, unpaid caregivers for adults were the worst.
“Unpaid caregivers for adults, many of whom are currently providing critical care to people at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease, had a higher incidence of adverse mental and behavioral conditions compared to others,” the researchers wrote. .
She added, “Although unpaid child caregivers were not evaluated in this study, approximately 39% of unpaid adult caregivers shared a household with children (compared to 27% of the other respondents). Care workload, especially in multigenerational caregivers , should be considered for future assessment of mental health, given the findings of this report and difficulties potentially related to caregivers. “
The study had some limitations, including that it was based on self-report information from an online survey, which may lead to some benefits if respondents are not honest in their responses about symptoms of depression, substance use, suicidal ideation and other mental health topics.
‘Adults Are Not Good In America’
“We are in August and this is a biopsy of almost 6,000 people from June,” he said. “There is a mental health crisis as a result of this pandemic.”
Looking ahead, Duckworth said he would be interested in tracking data on what some people who would otherwise be at high risk for the pandemic’s mental health consequences – such as essential workers or caregivers – are doing to not be sure. symptoms of mental health compared to their peers who reported symptoms.
Duckworth also added that the new findings are consistent with previous studies, which found symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorders increased in the United States between April and June compared to the same period last year – and have calls for calls to the National Alliance on Mental Illness went up, he said.
“If you’re a state policy director, if you’re a mental health commissioner, if you’re running a health plan, you need to know this information. There’s a whole subset of people – caregivers, people with pre-existing conditions, people of color , essential workers – these people will need support for mental health, “Duckworth said. “This is part of the human experience here that happens with your other Americans.”
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