scholarly journals Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health (anxiety and depression symptoms) in the United States of America

2021 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. e95387
Author(s):  
Caner Baysan ◽  
Seher Palanbek-Yavaş ◽  
Ayşe Emel-Önal

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a serious mental health impact in the United States of America, as well as all over the world. Objective: To assess some of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of US adult population, as well as the relationship between the average number of new COVID-19 cases and the average frequency of symptoms of anxiety, of depression, and of anxiety or depression between April 23 and October 26 2020. Materials and methods: Retrospective study. Psychosocial and demographic data were obtained from the online community-based Household Pulse Survey website. Data about the number of new COVID-19 cases detected in USA during the study period were taken from the Our World in Data website. The Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the strength of the relationships between the average new cases of COVID-19 during the study period and the average frequency of symptoms of anxiety, of depression, and of anxiety or depression. These correlations were also assessed in a subgroup analysis (gender, age group, education level, and ethnicity). Results: A total of 1,351,911 US adults completed the survey. The average rates of symptoms of depression, of anxiety, and of anxiety or depression were 25.7±1.6%, 31.9±2.0%, and 36.8±2.0%, respectively. The average number of new COVID-19 cases was positively correlated with the mean frequency of symptoms of anxiety, of depression, and of anxiety or depression (r=0.858, r=0.710, and r=0.887; p<0.001). Likewise, positive correlations between the average number of new cases and the mean frequency of anxiety or depressive symptoms were found in the subgroups (r=0.484-0.917). Conclusions: According to our results, the number of new COVID-19 cases detected during the study period in USA was positively correlated with the frequency of anxiety or depression symptoms in the participants, that is, as the number of new cases increased, so did the frequency of the symptoms of these mental disorders.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 53S-63S
Author(s):  
Jill Sonke ◽  
Kelley Sams ◽  
Jane Morgan-Daniel ◽  
Andres Pumariega ◽  
Faryal Mallick ◽  
...  

Study Objective. Suicide is a serious health problem that is shaped by a variety of social and mental health factors. A growing body of research connects the arts to positive health outcomes; however, no previous systematic reviews have examined the use of the arts in suicide prevention and survivorship. This review examined how the arts have been used to address suicide prevention and survivorship in nonclinical settings in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. Design and Setting. Ten bibliographic databases, five research repositories, and reference sections of articles were searched to identify published studies. Articles presenting outcomes of interventions conducted between 2014 and 2019 and written in English, were included. Primary Results. Nine studies met inclusion criteria, including qualitative, quantitative randomized controlled trials, quantitative nonrandomized, quantitative descriptive, and mixed-methods studies. The programs studied used film and television (n = 3), mixed-arts (n = 3), theatre (n = 2), and quilting (n = 1). All nine interventions used the arts to elicit emotional involvement, while seven also used the arts to encourage engagement with themes of health. Study outcomes included increased self-efficacy, awareness of mental health issues, and likelihood for taking action to prevent suicide, as well as decreases in suicidal risk and self-harming behaviors. Conclusions. Factors that influence suicide risk and survivorship may be effectively addressed through arts-based interventions. While the current evidence is promising with regard to the potential for arts programs to positively affect suicide prevention and survivorship, this evidence needs to be supplemented to inform recommendations for evidence-based arts interventions.


1983 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 447-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
C J Smith

The Community Méntal Health Centers (CMHC) legislation in the early 1960s was the first real attempt at a national mental health policy in the United States of America. Federal funding was made available for the establishment of 1500 centers across the country. The goal was to provide access to quality mental health care for all US citizens by 1980. As a result of prolonged criticisms, the legislation was repealed by the incoming Reagan Administration in the early 1980s, In this paper, the twenty-year lifespan of this ‘innovation’ in mental health policy is reviewed and an evaluation of some of its most pervasive criticisms are presented.


2002 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 199

Book Review - Psycho-economics: managed care in mental health in the new millennium Edited by Robert D WeitzThis book comprises ten separately authored chapters on the general theme of managed care, and the way that it has affected mental health care in the United States of America. The main focus is on the role of the psychologist in private practice.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (9) ◽  
pp. 1058-1067 ◽  
Author(s):  
James D Sexton ◽  
Michael S Crawford ◽  
Noah W Sweat ◽  
Allyson Varley ◽  
Emma E Green ◽  
...  

Background: Novel psychedelics approximate classic psychedelics, but unlike classic psychedelics, novel psychedelics have been used by humans for a shorter period of time, with fewer data available on these substances. Aims: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of novel psychedelic use and the associations of novel psychedelic use with mental health outcomes. Methods: We estimated the prevalence of self-reported, write-in lifetime novel psychedelic use and evaluated the associations of novel psychedelic use with psychosocial characteristics, past month psychological distress, and past year suicidality among adult respondents pooled from years 2008–2016 of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (weighted n=234,914,788). Results: A fraction (weighted n=273,720; 0.12%) reported lifetime novel psychedelic use. This cohort tended to be younger, male, and White, have greater educational attainment but less income, be more likely to have never been married, engage in self-reported risky behavior, and report lifetime illicit use of other drugs, particularly classic psychedelics (96.9%). (2-(4-Bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)ethanamine) (2C-B) (30.01%), (2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenethylamine) (2C-I) (23.9%), and (1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-ethylphenyl)-2-aminoethane) (2C-E) (14.8%) accounted for the majority of lifetime novel psychedelic use. Although lifetime novel psychedelic use was not associated with psychological distress or suicidality compared to no lifetime novel psychedelic use or classic psychedelic use, relative to lifetime use of classic psychedelics but not novel psychedelics, lifetime novel psychedelic use was associated with a greater likelihood of past year suicidal thinking (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR)=1.4 (1.1–1.9)) and past year suicidal planning (aOR=1.6 (1.1–2.4)). Conclusion: Novel psychedelics may differ from classic psychedelics in meaningful ways, though additional, directed research is needed.


2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (9) ◽  
pp. 1981-1986 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. D. Klonsky

BackgroundNon-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has received increased attention in the mental health literature and has been proposed as a diagnostic entity for DSM-5. However, data on NSSI in the United States adult population are lacking.MethodThe prevalence and nature of NSSI were examined in a random-digit dialing sample of 439 adults in the United States. Participants were recruited during July and August of 2008.ResultsLifetime prevalence of NSSI was 5.9%, including 2.7% who had self-injured five or more times. The 12-month prevalence was 0.9%. Methods of NSSI reported included cutting/carving, burning, biting, scraping/scratching skin, hitting, interfering with wound healing and skin picking. Half of self-injurers reported multiple methods. The average age of onset was 16 years (median 14 years). Instances of NSSI infrequently co-occurred with suicidal thoughts and with use of alcohol or drugs and rarely required medical treatment. Most injurers reported that NSSI functioned to alleviate negative emotions. Fewer reported that they self-injured to punish themselves, to communicate with others/get attention or to escape a situation or responsibility. NSSI was associated with younger age, being unmarried and a history of mental health treatment, but not with gender, ethnicity, educational history or household income.ConclusionsResults are largely consistent with previous research in adolescent and young adult samples. Study limitations notwithstanding, this study provides the most definitive and detailed information to date regarding the prevalence and characteristics of NSSI in US adults. In the future, it will be important for large-scale epidemiological studies of psychopathology to include questions about NSSI.


1999 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 28-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer J. Luntz

This paper provides an overview of the state of the art in consultation at the close of the third decade of its existence as a major form of delivering mental health services in the United States of America, and its somewhat later introduction in Victoria, Australia. Gallessich’s framework for consultation (1983, 1985), amongst others, is compared with the Victorian model. Issues raised include the need for consultants to understand the boundaries of consultation, its limitations, the state of its knowledge base and the uniquely Victorian contribution of a framework of several levels which enables an integration of the knowledge borrowed from a range of sources to assist in the improvement of its practice. A later paper to be published in ‘Children Australia’ looks at the steps in the consultation process.


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