Study: COVID-19 Takes Increasing Mental Toll
Sep 24, 2020, 6:50 PM | Updated: 8:24 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Aside from the physical toll of COVID-19, a new study and mental health professionals have reported an increase in cases of depression, anxiety and loneliness.
According to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the number of people who said they have experienced depression has increased 20 percent since March.
What that translates to, is more than one-in-two people reporting a negative impact on their mental health directly tied to living during a pandemic.
From January to June 2019, 11 percent of Americans reported issues of anxiety or depression disorder.
During the last three months, those numbers have continued to climb. Reports in late July 2020 showed the number had topped 40 percent.
“I think with my clients, that’s something that we are actively working on all the time,” said child and family therapist Clair Mellentin. “We need to bring in people so you’re not alone in all of this, because I truly believe our world is too big to do all this by ourselves – with all of the different roles that we have and the hats that we have to wear. We need our people.”
A broad body of research also shows that the elderly and adolescents age 12 to 17 have suffered the most from social distancing and isolation.
Moms with kids have seen a big increase in general stress.
More than a third of adults have also reported specific negative impacts on their mental health and wellbeing, such as difficulty sleeping or eating.
There’s a reported 12 percent increase in alcohol consumption or substance use, and worsening chronic condition, due to worry and stress over the coronavirus.
