According to a new study, during the present coronavirus pandemic, the number of Americans reporting depression symptoms more than tripled.
The effects of widespread traumatic events, such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and civil unrest, on mental health are well documented in scientific literature.
Catherine Ettman, a doctorate student in public health at Brown University and main author of the study, which was published in the American Medical Association journal JAMA Network Open, said the coronavirus epidemic appears to be on a completely new level.
"We were shocked by the high levels of depression," she told National Public Radio. "These rates were higher than what we've seen in the general public following comparable large-scale catastrophes like September 11, Hurricane Katrina, and the Hong Kong turmoil."
COVID-19's mental health cost is borne mostly by poor people with few societal resources, much like the pandemic itself, which has disproportionately affected marginalized people and front-line professionals.
In comparison to the general population, 47 percent of people with a household income under $20,000 and 41 percent of people with household savings under $5,000 showed depression symptoms, compared to 28 percent of the general population.
Additional stressors such as job loss, having a friend or family member die from COVID-19, or financial difficulties were also linked to depression. Researchers discovered that 43 % who had high exposure to traumatic stressors during the pandemic reported symptoms of depression. Because the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States occurred in different parts of the country at different times, researchers were unable to investigate regional differences in depression.
Given the unequal burden placed on those with fewer financial resources, Ettman stated that livable salaries, affordable housing, and health insurance are all in high demand.
Even before the pandemic, many people suffering from depression and anxiety were not receiving the necessary treatment. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, less than one-third of people who could benefit from mental health care received it.
Furthermore, prior to the coronavirus, suicide rates in the United States were trending higher-and medical experts are now concerned that the pandemic has the potential to increase those numbers.
Ettman asserted in a commentary published alongside a previous study that looked at the links between financial stress and suicide rates that the current pandemic "presents a unique set of risk exposures to populations, which may lead to an increase in suicide."
The most recent Johns Hopkins University data indicates there are over 26.1 million confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide, with at least 864,000 deaths.
