Kerby Anderson

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention documents what we already suspected. The coronavirus pandemic has adversely affected our country’s mental health. Correspondent Alexander Nazaryan summarizes the findings from a CDC survey of 5,412 Americans. More than four in ten (40.9%) respondents reported at least one adverse mental or behavioral health condition. More than three in ten (31%) suffered from anxiety or depression. More than a quarter (26%) experienced symptoms of traumatic disorder. Many (13%) were using drugs or alcohol more heavily or even for the first time to cope with the epidemic. Many news reports accurately reported that 11 percent of the respondents said they seriously considered suicide. But that doesn’t give the whole picture. If you look at the chart in the CDC report, you notice that more than a quarter (25.5%) of young people (18-24) considered suicide in the last 30 days. All of these numbers and percentages represent higher levels of psychological distress compared to pre-pandemic levels. Anxiety symptoms, for example, tripled in their incidence compared to the same period last year. Even worse, the incidence of depression or post-traumatic stress disorder quadrupled. Columnist Jennifer Senior wrote about a Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll showing a majority of American adults (53%) believe the pandemic is taking a toll on their mental health. More than one third (36%) of Americans said it was interfering with their sleep. Also, a third (32%) say they are overeating or not eating enough. All of this, she concludes, is causing a “national slide into a sulfurous pit of distress.” I believe the current circumstances provide an opportunity to provide our nation with true hope and encouragement found in the gospel and provided through individual Christian action and church outreach.