Studies conducted in the summer of 2020 show U.S. adults reported drastically elevated adverse mental health conditions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) responded by advocating for increased intervention and prevention efforts to deal with increased mental health conditions.
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In June of 2020, the CDC conducted a study to measure the effects of the pandemic on adverse mental health conditions and discovered some surprising results. Symptoms of anxiety disorders were three times the reported occurrences from 2019, up from about 8% to 25%. The prevalence of depressive disorder rose four times from the cases reported in 2019.
The pandemic has also created symptoms of Trauma and Stressor Related Disorder (TSRD) in about 25% of respondents. And an estimated 1-in-10 reported increased substance use.
The numbers of individuals with suicidal ideation also went up since 2019 with twice as many people admitting they had seriously considered suicide within the previous 30 days.
The study also revealed disproportionate numbers concerning who has suffered the most from mental health conditions during the pandemic. The most affected demographics include:
The pandemic’s effect of adverse mental and behavioral health conditions highlights the need for prevention and treatment of these conditions. Identifying those most at risk for psychological distress and unhealthy coping can be used to target those in need and inform policy regarding health inequity.
The CDC has recommended public health agencies increase their intervention, prevention, and treatment efforts, starting at the community level by prioritizing their communication strategies to the most at-risk individuals.
These measures can increase the access to clinical diagnoses and treatment options and develop the use of telehealth as an effective tool for providing treatment of several conditions, including:
The CDC also recommends community-level efforts like:
Future studies may uncover more adverse effects on our mental and behavioral health because of the pandemic. Several detrimental actors are already being discussed, like:
Since 1972, the Los Angeles workers’ comp attorneys at the Law Offices of Kropach & Kropach have sought restitution for stress-related injuries and fought to get workers’ lives back.
If you work in stressful situations that have affected you mentally or physically, contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling us at 818-609-7005.
