New evidence released on Friday by the CDC is based on well-documented trends in worsening mental health in the midst of the pandemic, especially among young adults. However, the researchers did not determine the cause of the symptoms and suggested that seasonal depression could play a role in the results.
The federal health agency specifically found a significant increase in adults who reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorders during the seven days prior to the surveys (36.4% to 41.5%), while also seeing an increase in adults who need therapy , but did not receive these services in a period of four weeks (from 9.2% to 11.7%). The findings resulted from responses to a so-called Domestic Pulse Survey conducted by the CDC and the US Census Bureau from August 2020 to February 2021, which indicated that younger adults aged 18 to 29 and those with little education were the hardest hit.
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To assess depression and anxiety, respondents were asked whether they felt nervous, uncontrollable worry, little interest in activities or hopelessness. Other questions investigated prescription drugs, therapy, or unmet need for therapy.
“During January 20, 2021 to February 1, 2021, more than two out of five adults aged ≥18 years experienced symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder during the past 7 days,” wrote CDC researchers in the results released Friday. market. “One in four adults who experienced these symptoms reported that they needed it, but did not receive counseling or therapy for their mental health.”
The report also documented a “significant increase” in adults who reported taking prescription drugs or undergoing mental health counseling, from 22.4% to 25.0%. The general data involves limitations because they were self-reported and the professionals did not confirm the results, with the authors writing: “Questions about mental health symptoms may be predictive, but they do not necessarily reflect a clinical diagnosis.”
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The report noted that the findings reflected previously reported trends in worsening mental health among young adults early in the pandemic, but the new findings show that trends continued to worsen in early 2021.
As mentioned, the study authors were unable to definitively link the increase in symptoms to events related to the pandemic, such as business restrictions and blockages, because the report did not examine the cause of the symptoms. As a result, seasonal affective disorder or worsening mental health in the darkest and coldest months of winter may play a role in changing symptoms, according to the report.
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However, since the beginning of the pandemic, expanded telehealth has aimed to mitigate the decline in mental health and compensate for closed face-to-face services, and many mental health counselors offering virtual care have expressed a dramatic increase in patients during the pandemic.
“Continuous, almost real-time monitoring of mental health trends by demographic characteristics is critical during the COVID-19 pandemic. These trends can be used to assess the impact of strategies that address mental health status and adult care during pandemic and to target interventions to groups that are disproportionately affected. “