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Depression, Anxiety Symptoms Rose With Covid Numbers, Study Says

Depression, Anxiety Symptoms Rose With Covid Numbers, Study Says

Symptoms of anxiety and depression hit U.S. adults more frequently as the number of Covid cases mounted during the accelerating pandemic, according to a study.

Mental health severity scores were highly correlated with the average number of daily Covid-19 cases, according to the study in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 

Concerns of a new wave of infections fueled by the highly infectious delta variant are rising as the winter months approach. The findings reinforce the need for mental health services and resources during the pandemic, the researchers concluded.

Adults experienced increasing anxiety and depression symptoms in August 2020, peaking between December 2020 and January 2021. While they have since fallen, the frequency of mental health symptoms is still much greater than pre-pandemic estimates, the study said.

Mississippi, Oklahoma, and South Carolina had the largest percentage increases in anxiety scores between August and December of 2020, and Minnesota, Mississippi, and South Carolina had the largest percentage increases in depression scores. Florida and New York had the smallest increases in depression and anxiety scores, respectively, during the same period. 

The CDC used data from the the U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey to look at trends in reported anxiety and depression among U.S. adults in 50 states and the District of Columbia.

“Real-time monitoring of mental health symptoms can provide important information for responding to surges in the demand for mental health services during national emergencies,” the study concluded. 

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.