By Michael Hernandez
NEWBURY PARK–An April 27 survey of 2,032 U.S. adults have shown that they are eight times as likely to screen positive for serious mental illness compared to a 2018 government sponsored survey of U.S. adults that were asked the same questions. The surveyed adults were three times more likely to fit criteria for moderate or serious mental illness.
Differences between the 2018 and 2020 samples appeared across all demographic groups with larger differences among younger adults and those with children in the household.
The authors of the study conclude that “these considerable levels of mental distress may portend substantial increases in diagnosed mental disorders and in the morbidity and mortality associated with them.”
This study released on May 7th by Jean Twenge (San Diego State University) and Thomas Joiner (Florida State University) and still waiting peer review, compared a nationally representative online sample of 2,032 adults in late April 2020 to 19,330 U.S. adult internet users who participated in the 2018 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) using the Kessler-6 scale of mental distress in the last 30 days (which looks at mood, anxiety, and persistent depressive disorders; and includes nervousness, restlessness and fidgetiness).
The actual questions: “During the past 30-days, how often did you feel…1) so sad that nothing could cheer you up 2) nervous 3) restless or fidgety 4) hopeless 5) that everything was an effort 6) worthless.” The response choices were recorded as: “all of the time; most of the time; some of the time; little of the time; and none of the time.”
The authors of the study wrote: “The COVID-19 pandemic created economic difficulties, social isolation, and heightened health concerns potentially leading to mental distress.
“Many employees were asked to work remotely; restaurants stores, parks and beaches closed; schools and universities shuttered their campuses and moved classes online; travel restrictions were imposed; meetings and events were cancelled; and many states and cities imposed stay-at-home orders asking residents to leave home only for essential tasks. News stories carried the ever-increasing number of cases and deaths from the virus, and consumers faced shortages of household goods. At the same time, unemployment soared to levels not seen since the Great Depression in the 1930s, and gun-related FBI background checks surged to a historically high level.
“Thus, between early March and late April 2020, Americans experienced a confluence of economic stressors, social isolation, health concerns, and practical risks and difficulties. All of these factors have been connected to an increased incidence of mental health disorders in past research, and there is considerable concern about increases related to the COVID-19 pandemic (Roger, Stanley, & Joiner).
“For example, social isolation is a very well-characterized precursor of a number of mental health problems, including major depressive disorder (Barger et al., 2014) anxiety disorders (eg. Lim et al., 2016) and suicidal behavior (Calati, et al., 2019; Van Orden et al., 2010) including suicide deaths (Rubins 1981). The same is true of factors such as work loss and physical health issues (eg. Russell, Joner & Turner, 2009).
“This has created speculation that the prevalence of mental health issues increased sharply during 2020 (Pfefferbaum & North, 2020, Regent et al., 2020; Zarefsky, 2020). Anecdotal reports have surfaced of more people seeking help from psychiatrists (Graves, 2020) as well as reports of large increases in those who contacted the Disaster Distress Helpline (Levin, 2020), the Suicide Crisis Line in Los Angeles (Bharath, 2020), and the Crisis Text Line (Lakhani, 2020).”
The authors noticed: “Some people are suffering more than others. Younger adults ages 18 to 44–mostly IGen and millennials–have borne the brunt of the mental health effects. They’ve experienced a tenfold increase in serious mental distress compared with 2018. Meanwhile adults 60 and older had the smallest increase in serious mental health issues.
“Why might this be the case? After all, the virus has far more dire health implications for older people?
“It could be because older people are more protected from the economic disruptions of the pandemic. Younger adults were more likely to lose their jobs as restaurants and stores closed and were more likely to be in a precarious financial position to begin with. The youngest adults were also already struggling with mental health issues: Depression among 18-to 25-year-olds surged from 2012 to 2017, possibly because young adults spent less time interacting with others in person that they used to, a situation only exacerbated by the pandemic.
“The other group in distress won’t be a surprise to parents: those with children under 18 at home. With schools and daycares closed during the pandemic, many parents are trying to do the near-impossible by working and supervising their children at the same time. Sports, scouting, music classes, camps and virtually every other activity, parents rely on to keep their kids occupied have been canceled. Even parks were closed for weeks.
“In 2018, parents were actually less likely to be experiencing mental distress than those without children. But by the end of April 2020, parents were more likely to be in stress than their childless peers.”
“Policymakers need to be prepared for a potentially unprecedented number of Americans needing mental health services. Just as hospitals risked running out of ventilators during a surge of COVID-19 patients, the mental health care system might be quickly overwhelmed.”
Michael Hernandez, Co-Founder of the Citizens Journal—Ventura County’s online news service; editor of the History Makers Report and founder of History Makers International—a community nonprofit serving youth and families in Ventura County, is a former Southern California daily newspaper journalist and religion and news editor. He worked 25 years as a middle school teacher in Monrovia and Los Angeles Unified School Districts. Mr. Hernandez can be contacted by email at [email protected].
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