Mental Health in the Wake of COVID

Over two years after the first confirmed case of Coronavirus in the United States, we’re still dealing with the ramifications, vaccinations, and variants with no end in sight. Throughout the pandemic, scientists seemed to be in agreement that the event would have an impact on the nation’s mental health specifically - but what impact exactly was unknown. Now that we’re removed from the worst of the situation, it’s time to look at the effect this global traumatic event has had on our collective psyche.

It’s important to note that any psychological distress caused by this pandemic is occurring against a backdrop of high rates of mental illness and substance use that existed prior to the current crisis. Even before lockdown, one in ten adults self-reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder. Nearly twenty percent (a whopping 45 million) reported having general mental illness.

So how has COVID-19 affected our mental health? We still don’t have all of the answers, of course, but here’s what we know so far.

COVID’s Impact on Teenagers and Young Adults

It’s no surprise to most of us that anxiety and depression has gone up for the adolescents and young adults of the country, but the effects of the pandemic on the youth are even grimmer than you may expect.

Researchers revealed that emergency room visits for suicide attempts by teenagers have increased, particularly among girls ages 12-17.

In May 2020, emergency department visits for suicide attempts began to increase among adolescents to a figure that was 26.2% higher than a year earlier. During February 21–March 20, 2021, however, these ED visits were 50.6% higher among the demographic than during the same period in 2019. Among boys aged 12–17 years, suicide attempt ED visits increased 3.7%.

Though not as lethally, symptoms like anxiety, depression, sleep disruptions, and thoughts of suicide have increased for many young adults as well. They have likely experienced a number of pandemic-related consequences – universities closing, transitioning to remote work, and loss of income or employment – that definitely contribute to poor mental health. The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) analysis found that throughout the pandemic, a large share of young adults (ages 18-24) reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder – as much as 56%.

COVID’s Impact on Adults

The pandemic’s impact on the mental health of adults is largely parallel to their socio-economic class.

Throughout the pandemic, many people across the country have experienced job or income loss, which has generally been a negative factor that affected their mental health. Adults experiencing job loss during the pandemic consistently reported higher rates of symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder (53%) compared to adults not experiencing household job loss (32%).

KFF Health Tracking Polls conducted during the pandemic have also found that people with lower status or incomes are more likely to report major negative mental health impacts due to Coronavirus. In December 2020, 35% of adults earning less than $40,000 reported experiencing a major negative mental health impact, compared to only 21% of those with incomes between $40,000-$89,999 and 17% of those making $90,000 or above.

Additionally, studies have found larger percentages of the clinical cutoff scores for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) than is typical in population-representative studies. For example, in late June 2020 a survey of 5,412 U.S. adults found that about 26 percent of respondents were symptomatic for GAD based on the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. This was nearly three times the percentage of respondents scoring symptomatic for GAD in a comparable survey that was reported in 2019. 

What is most concerning, given the already prevalent substance abuse in America, is that the same June survey reported that 13 percent of respondents said they had begun or increased substance use to cope with stress or emotions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase has been noted specifically in alcohol use. In a short report on survey research in 2019 (before the pandemic) and 2020 (once the pandemic had begun), investigators noted a stark increase. Nearly 30.1 percent of respondents said their alcohol use had increased during the pandemic. 

Moving Forward

For many people the negative mental health effects they’ve suffered over these past two years will dissipate as vaccinations become more readily available and the world begins to slowly crawl back to normal. That is the best case scenario, of course - that these increases are a statistical anomaly caused by an unexpected and catastrophic event.

Looking forward, however, it’s unlikely that most will simply return to their previous mental state. We must prepare for the eventuality of a lower national mental health status by funding our local behavioral health programs and raising awareness. Above all, know that if you have been similarly impacted by the virus,

You are not alone.

If you, or another person, are in crisis and need emergency help call the Philadelphia Suicide Hotline at (215) 685-6440.