BOSTON – Mental health therapists’ caseloads are bulging. Waiting lists for appointments are growing.
And research suggests that anxiety and depression are rising among Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic.
A study published Wednesday by researchers with Boston University is the latest to suggest an uptick.
Half of U.S. adults surveyed reported at least some signs of depression.
The rate was higher than in a different survey two years ago.
Health experts have also found that the number of Americans who Googled information about panic and anxiety attacks reached a 16-year high this spring, even when adjusting for population growth and internet usage.
The New York branch of NAMI (National Association of Mental Illness) reported a 60 percent increase in the number of calls to their crisis line.
Jackie Lane, Executive Director of NAMI Cape Cod and the Islands, said that adapting to life during the pandemic is affecting everyone regardless of their wealth or employment.
“You’re not mentally ill because you’re feeling additional stress or anxiety, it’s a very normal thing,” said Lane.
Even if the trends reflect mostly angst rather than full-blown psychiatric illness, experts say the problem is real.
For some people, it stems from lost jobs and loved ones, financial stress, and anxiety over racial and political upheaval.
Lane is reassuring the public that it’s okay to feel that way and it’s very common, given what is happening in the world.
“Just living normal life is going to have extra issues,” said Lane.
“Feeling some extra anxiety and extra stress, is very, very normal.”
Lane adds that she hopes the idea of public health being a priority, both physical and mental, should continue into the future after the COVID-19 pandemic is over.
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