COVID-19's Psychological Toll: Mental Distress Among Americans Has Tripled During the Pandemic Compared to 2018
Late last month, as the full weight of the COVID-19 crises was settling on the country’s shoulders, more than 70% of adults met the criteria that psychologists use to diagnose serious mental distress and illness. That represents a roughly 700% increase from pre-pandemic data collected in 2018.
While this surge in mental distress showed up across age and demographic groups, young adults and those with children experienced the most pronounced spikes. Among adults living at home with kids under the age of 18, the rate of severe distress rose from just 3% in 2018 to 37% last month.
Last month, roughly 70% of Americans experienced moderate-to-severe mental distress—triple the rate seen in 2018. “I expected there to be an increase, but even I was surprised by how large it was,” says Jean Twenge, coauthor of the study and a professor of psychology at San Diego State University.
Twenge says the severity of the mental health discrepancies her study revealed probably shouldn’t have come as a shock. “In some ways, this is a perfect storm for mental health issues,” she says. “We’re dealing with social isolation, anxiety around health, and economic problems. All of these are situations linked to mental health challenges, and these are hitting many of us all at once.”
Researchers unaffiliated with Twenge’s study say that, on top of the loss of jobs and the obvious health risks associated with COVID-19, the element of uncertainty is causing Americans a great deal of psychological distress. “People don’t know when we’re going to get back to normal life, and that is quite anxiety provoking,” says Dr. Gary Small, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles.
The COVID-19 crisis has forced U.S. politicians and public health officials into a lose-lose dilemma: both groups are now weighing the life-and-death risk of exposing people to the virus against the manifold hardships created by stay-at-home directives and business closures. More and more, members of each group have discussed the psychological repercussions associated with each scenario—including the specter of rising depression and suicide rates. This new study appears to substantiate those concerns.
While some might point to the psychological blowback as a reason to reopen the economy and lift restrictions, Twenge says that course of action is also fraught. “Opening up too soon and then having to shut back down could also have very negative consequences from a mental health perspective, such as a further increase in mental distress,” she says.
“If there’s a policy message here,” she adds, “it’s that people are suffering and we need to put resources into mental health treatment.
This is from Time Magazine online May 7, 2020.
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My friends, this should come as no surprise to us....70% of Americans have severe Mental Distress in the last month.
You are part of the large surge of Americans finding that are experiencing extreme difficulty right now...and next month the numbers will jump again. I don't see the situation changing enough to stop the mental health of the American People.
Yes, I have mental distress.
