In a recent survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 63% of people aged 18 to 24 reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, with 25% reporting increased substance use to deal with stress and 25% saying they had seriously considered suicide.
“The impact of the pandemic on mental health is much greater in young adults,” said Dr. Shaker Saxena, of the Harvard School of Public Health and professor for the practice of global mental health courts. “The figures we have from the United States suggest that almost two-thirds of young adults have some symptoms of anxiety or depression or other psychological problems.”
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 50% of all mental illnesses throughout life develop at age 14 and 75% at age 24.
Even when the COVID-19 crisis is over, Saxena explained that 10% of these adults will have lasting effects from the mental health problems they are currently dealing with.
“About a third may actually be having a problem that is serious enough that their lives are affected in terms of job performance and education,” said Saxena. “This can represent a much greater burden in terms of health and disability.”
Saxena added: “Many people are losing jobs. Some people are earning much less than before. There is uncertainty as to where and what tomorrow will bring, which is faced much more by younger adults than by middle-aged or older adults, because this is the moment of change in their lives. “
The Healthy Minds Network conducted a survey and found that 80% of college students reported that COVID-19 had negatively impacted their mental health.
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Experts fear that many of those affected are not seeking the professional help they need, and Dr. Sarah Lipson, assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Law Management at Boston University School of Public Health and co-principal investigator from the Healthy Minds Study Network, said ABC News experts are trying to quantify this.
“Black students and low-income students are significantly less likely to seek care when they are experiencing mental health problems due to cost and availability,” said Lipson. “These are also the same students who are less likely to persist in higher education and graduate school. There is a kind of intersection of results that we are so concerned about with young adults in this regard.”
Increased anxiety and depression
Saxena explained how the pandemic is a “perfect storm” to give rise to uncertainty, resulting from anxiety and loss, which can lead to depression. Many young people have lost a lot, especially with regard to educational and professional opportunities.
“For people between 21 and 25, this is a time of expansion in their lives, with new connections and new things,” said Lipson. “This is all being interrupted. I think it’s a difficult time for parts of life to come to a standstill when there is usually just this accelerated development time where so much is happening socially and professionally.
“The job market that young people are entering,” she added, “is very unpredictable, which I think creates a lot of stress.”
Loneliness and social isolation
Mental Health America found that between April and September of last year, 70% of people reported that loneliness or isolation were the main factors that contributed to mental health problems. Isolation is the real separation from others and loneliness is the feeling that goes with it.
“One can feel lonely despite being with other people. Both loneliness and self-isolation have major health impacts, and communication around the need for distance in the pandemic has been very unfortunate,” said Saxena.
He said that social distance should really have been called physical distance, separate from the social connection.
“People are forced to do this because there are rules in place,” he added. “However, the attempt should be to be as connected as possible.”
Jordan Corcoran, advocate and founder of Listen Lucy, a mental health organization, was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder at the age of 19 and, now 33, she described the pandemic as a major challenge.
“I feel like I’m working every minute of the day to keep my anxiety in check,” said Corcoran. “Isolation is an important part of treating mental illness.”
Even after getting help and choosing to defend others who struggle with mental disorders, Corcoran still faces his own battles every day.
“The world keeps putting all these obstacles in front of me. I don’t know how much longer I can do this,” explained Corcoran. “I check my mental health every day. It is part of my survival as part of my journey.”
What can be done
Saxena said stress in the workplace – employees are overwhelmed, which may or may not be linked to layoffs or company restructuring – is a major contributor, and employers can step in to help.
“They should be aware that people are experiencing stress and potentially having mental disorders,” he said. “All of this should be covered as part of the benefits package, as much as any physical problem. If you are an employer and your employee needs help in terms of counseling and psychiatric help, they should be encouraged, supported and financed in doing so. This is a best practice needed now more than ever. “
Lipson also said that he believes that university campuses need to offer more mental health resources and require training for faculty members so that they can better understand mental health problems among students.
“I think schools need to think about expanding the campus mental health system to include a broader range of resources and invest in them, rather than just investing in more and more employees in a counseling center,” said Lipson. “It is an imbalance that will continue to exist and expand in terms of the number of students needing services and the availability of mentors”.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by sending a text message to CASA at 741741. You can contact Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860 (USA) or 877-330-6366 (Canada) and The Trevor Project at 866-488-7386.
The video in the media player above was used in an earlier report.
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