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- American adults reported increasing levels of anxiety and depression from August through December 2020.
- The increases were correlated with the increase in COVID-19 cases, according to a new CDC report.
- Mississippi and South Carolina saw the largest increases in anxiety and depression.
Americans have reported increasing levels of anxiety and depression alongside the increase in COVID-19 cases last year.
The frequency of anxiety symptoms among American adults increased 13% from August to December 2020, while the frequency of depression symptoms increased by 15%, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The analysis relied on data from more than 1.5 million Americans who reported how often they suffered from anxiety or depression in the US Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey. United.
The CDC’s analysis found that anxiety and depression were positively correlated with the average number of new daily cases of COVID-19. In the United States, cases rose from around 42,000 per day over a two-week period in August 2020 to about 218,000 per day over a two-week period in December 2020, an increase of over 400%.
Mississippi and South Carolina have seen some of the largest increases in anxiety and depression during this time, while Florida and New York have seen some of the lowest.
The report did not analyze which aspects of the pandemic led to these negative mental health outcomes, but other research has begun to probe these questions.
A French study recently found that people who develop symptoms of COVID-19 have a higher risk of anxiety and depression, possibly because they fear becoming sicker, infecting loved ones or losing their jobs. or their income. A January 2021 report from the Kaiser Family Foundation also found that isolation and job loss during the pandemic could predispose people to mental health issues.
An important takeaway from the CDC’s findings, however, is that the states in which anxiety and depression increased the most weren’t always the ones with the tightest lockdowns, despite what some opponents of the measures have said. suggested to happen. Mississippi and South Carolina have never implemented mask warrants, and South Carolina has allowed gatherings of up to 50 people throughout last year.
Customers drink on the Eataly Flatiron rooftop in New York City on April 15, 2021.
Taylor Hill / Getty Images
The CDC found that anxiety and depression seemed to peak during the winter. Then from December 2020 to early June 2021, the frequency of anxiety symptoms decreased by 27%, while the frequency of depression symptoms decreased by 25%.
One likely explanation for this, the researchers said, is that from January to June, daily cases, hospitalizations and deaths were down. Vaccines, of course, also became widely available during this time.
But the Delta variant may have slowed or reversed that positive trend in mental health, the CDC found.
The new report underscores the need for mental health services, they added, as the pandemic continues.
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