You're Not Alone. We're All Struggling With Mental Health
If you’ve been feeling down or anxious lately, you’re not alone. In fact, since the COVID pandemic began, depression among adults has tripled. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics, one in three Americans is dealing with symptoms of stress or anxiety. In fact, even former First Lady, Michelle Obama reported battling “low-grade depression.”
Why has mental health suffered so much?
Everything about our lives has been disrupted by the pandemic. Work, school, and future plans have had to be adjusted. All of this is cause for stress. To make things even more difficult, we can’t even be with our extended families or social networks, the people we typically rely on to get us through stressful times. Without those support systems and safety networks in place, mental health often suffers.
Mental Health America’s vice president for mental health and systems advocacy, Debbie Plotnick notes that, “We've been asking [the people who take MHA surveys] what troubles them—and remember, they're not all young—and they're telling us it's loneliness and isolation.”
Added to the problem is the fact that millions of Americans are having financial difficulties. As of September 2020, a quarter of US adults said they’d had trouble paying their bills since the start of the pandemic. It’s even worse for lower income households where 46 percent are now struggling.
With all of these issues on our plate, it makes sense that so many Americans are struggling. If you’re feeling down or anxious, please don’t make it harder on yourself by adding guilt. These are normal responses to abnormal times.
What are you feeling?
If you’re feeling constantly braced for disaster, even when there is no immediate danger, you are most likely suffering from anxiety. In a year that’s been filled with actual disasters, it’s no wonder that many of us have gotten stuck in a place of always being on alert.
If, on the other hand, you’re having difficulty focusing, experiencing changes in sleep or eating patterns, or feeling hopeless, you may be struggling with depression. Unfortunately, the pandemic has made it nearly impossible to do many of the things that help with depression such as meeting friends and having new experiences.
So, what can you do to feel better?
The good news is that human beings are amazingly adaptable. While many are still struggling, there is positive news on the horizon. A study published in The Lancet Psychiatry showed that anxiety and depression levels during the COVID-19 pandemic reached their peak at its early stages then declined rapidly in the UK. Also, with vaccine distribution increasing, there is hope that the pandemic will begin to wane in the next few months and we can get back to a lifestyle more conducive to good mental health.
For those of us who are still struggling with anxiety or depression, the answers are not so clear cut. But, recognizing that what you are feeling is real and normal is an important first step.
After validating your feelings, Plotnick recommends that people make use of MHA’s online screening tools which can help identify exactly what issues you’re facing and direct you where to get additional resources. MHA may recommend you to talk with friends, find a therapist, or even start talking about treatments with your doctor.
Of course, if you ever feel like you are in danger of hurting yourself, don’t wait!. Call The Suicide Prevention Lifeline for immediate help.
Remember that no matter how badly you are feeling, mental illnesses are never cause for shame or guilt. Just like physical maladies, mental illnesses can be identified and their symptoms can be treated with help from qualified professionals.