Mental Health in Numbers: How Has COVID Changed Our Mental Health?
Did you know that approximately every 40 seconds, someone takes their own life?
With nearly one billion people currently living with a mental disorder, this staggering statistic is no surprise. In fact, in low-income countries, over 75 percent of individuals suffering from mental issues will never receive treatment.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically disrupted — and in some cases wholly halted — mental health treatment. This could not come at a more inopportune time, as the demand for these services is quickly increasing. Due to the chronic nature of depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions, we are seeing a worldwide economic impact from the lack of necessary treatment available.
In addition, due to other catastrophic events — such as natural disasters — around 160 million people are currently in need of humanitarian assistance. Due to the stressful impact these events can have on lives, rates of mental health disorders are seen to double during such times. Approximately one in five people affected by conflicts have a mental health condition. (Reference 1)
Pre COVID-19 Pandemic
Just before the COVID health crisis, it was estimated that 19 percent of Americans — or nearly 50 million people — were experiencing some form of mental illness.
Of those that were shown to have a mental illness, around 16 percent had begun taking prescription medication to control their symptoms and 10 percent sought help from a counselor or other mental health professionals.
With an increased willingness to seek care, women were outnumbering their male counterparts with mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety. In addition, individuals within non-white communities also received less treatment — including medication and therapy — than in white communities.
The mental health statistics gathered in 2019 were relatively consistent with previous years. (Reference 2)
2020 - The Year of the Pandemic
During the first year of the COVID crisis, individuals suffering from anxiety and depression increased by 25 percent, globally. This, due largely in part from social isolation, inability to see and support loved ones, and drastic changes in financial stability.
In a survey conducted June 2020 — merely 6 months into the pandemic — a staggering 13 percent of people reported new or increased substance use. And, quite possibly the most alarming, alcohol and cannabis use among adolescents also grew in number. In addition, deaths ruled as overdoses increased as much as 20 percent in select states.
Due to the sudden onset of school and childcare closures, both children and parents had experienced a change in routine and day to day structure. In fact, households that had children under the age of 18 reported a higher number of symptoms correlating with anxiety and depressive disorder than childless households or homes with grown children. (Reference 3) Due to this, a study conducted by the Global Burden of Disease shows that women and children have been hit worse by the mental strain brought on by COVID, leading to an increased risk of self-harm and suicidal ideations. (Reference 4)
Throughout the first year of the pandemic, 12.2 million adults in the United States had serious thoughts of suicide or harming themselves, 1.2 million adults made attempts, and nearly 46,000 succeeded at taking their lives. Due to these startling statistics, suicide was in the top 10 leading causes of death in 2020 and the second leading cause for adolecents between the ages of 10 and 14. (Reference 5)
2021 - 2022
With growing numbers of mental health issues since the pandemic began, demand appears to be outnumbering the supply — leaving huge gaps of care for those in need of mental health services.
During the first year, businesses of all calibers were disrupted due to lockdowns and the learning curve of remote transitioning. Although better, we haven’t fully found our footing. The WHO reports that things were beginning to look up by the end of 2021, but due to the increase of those reporting symptoms, new and pre-existing patients are coming against roadblocks as they attempt to seek out treatment.
Unable to find face-to-face care early on, most turned to digital services. Unfortunately, the development and deployment of online services has its kinks and it is an unreasonable request for many underdeveloped countries. (Reference 4)
As of the year 2022, Mental Health America (MHA) reports:
664,000 additional people from the previous year reports feeling suicidal
There has been an uptick of approximately 1.24 percent of youth reporting depression
Over half of adults reporting mental illness have yet to receive treatment
11 million Amerians with a mental illness do not have adequate medical coverage - an increase of 0.3 percent
Substance use has grown by 0.07 percent for adults and 0.25 percent for adolescents since 2021 (Reference 6)
Self-Care Strategies
The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly upended most lives around the globe, causing those who never experienced chronic mental health issues to develop consistent symptoms and creating conditions to worsen for those who were already struggling.
Strategies designed to aid in self-care can help you take charge of your life — both mentally and physically.
Physical Health:
Physical activity - Regular exercise releases endorphins and helps to improve your overall mood.
Eat healthy - Junk food, refined sugars, and caffeine can aggravate anxiety and create sleeping problems.
Sleeping patterns - Stick with your normal sleep to wake cycle and turn off all electronic devices 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime to help you sleep.
Mental Health:
Routines - In addition to your sleep schedule, try to do all activities around the same time every day to help with productivity.
Limit news - Try to limit your exposure to news stories, as they can create unnecessary fear or panic.
Stay busy - Try new things or immerse yourself in your favorite hobby to disrupt the pattern of negative thoughts creeping into your mind.
Stay Connected:
Keep in communication - Many places switched to remote work and never fully went back to an in-office setting. Make an effort to stay connected and in communication with the people around you.
Do something for others - Making others feel good also makes us feel good about ourselves. This could be something as simple as baking Christmas cookies for your neighbors or offering to vacuum the rug for your grandmother.
Support your friends & family - Whether they live nearby or across the country, send them cards, gifts, or even text messages letting them know how much you care for them. (Reference 7)
Improve Quality of Life for Patients
Through technological innovation, MHT partners with medical professionals by creating simple, yet effective, screening assessments that can objectively collect data from the comfort of your patients’ own homes.
A few of our current mental health scales include:
ADHD
Anxiety & depression
Bipolar
PTSD
Suicidal ideation
Drug & alcohol addictions
Contact us today to speak with one of our highly-knowledgeable team members about how we can increase the quality of care for your patients — and revenue for your medical office.
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