NAMI HelpLine

Mental Health in the US is Suffering—Will It Go Back to Normal?

Posted on September 8, 2020

Covid-19 has left lots of people feeling anxious and depressed. But it’s hard to untangle whether this is a normal response to a difficult situation or actual pathology. According to survey results released by the CDC on August 14, 30% of respondents reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depression, versus 11%  during the same time period in 2019. Dawn Brown, director of community engagement at NAMI, which runs the free NAMI HelpLine for people seeking support and information, writes that, between March and July, they’ve seen a 65% increase in calls. Some callers have preexisting mental health conditions and reached out because of concerns about accessing medication or treatment during a pandemic, she writes; others did not have anxiety or depression diagnoses but were beginning to experience symptoms.

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