We are in the middle of a mental health crisis. The consequences of this pandemic will be with us for years to come.
- An alarming number of people are struggling with social isolation, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
- To truly defeat the pandemic, policymakers, employers, and communities must expand access to mental healthcare.
- There are resources to find mental health professionals who charge based on a patient’s income or who offer culturally-competent care.
- Erin Petersen is editor in chief of Healthline.com.
- This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Millions of Americans are now rolling up their sleeves to receive a coronavirus vaccine — and not a moment too soon, as cases and deaths are sadly spiking nationwide.
We can finally imagine a world without COVID-19, albeit months from now. The mental health consequences of this pandemic, however, will be with us for years to come.
An alarming number of people are struggling with social isolation, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Far too many have been unable to secure timely, affordable mental healthcare.
That has to change. To truly defeat the pandemic, policymakers, employers, and communities must expand access to mental healthcare.
An increase in mental health issues
The psychological costs of the pandemic were apparent early on. In a poll from March, nearly one-third of American adults reported that stress and worry about the pandemic had harmed their mental health. By mid-July, that number had grown to 53%.
A series of surveys conducted in June by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that more than 40% of Americans had at least one mental or behavioral condition linked to the pandemic.
Many people who overcome COVID-19 are gripped with serious mental health challenges soon thereafter. One in five people who acquire the virus develop mental illness within 90 days, a recent study in The Lancet Psychiatry journal found.
People of color have borne a disproportionate share of both the physical and mental toll of the pandemic. More than 15% of Black Americans — and nearly one-fifth of Hispanics — had seriously contemplated suicide in the previous 30 days, the June CDC study found.
Young people are disproportionately affected as well. According to the same CDC study, 25% of respondents aged 18 to 24 considered suicide in the 30 days before completing the survey, compared to 10% of all respondents.
The country has made significant headway destigmatizing mental health problems. But even before the pandemic, too many Americans faced barriers to securing mental healthcare.
Source: Read Full Article