The pandemic and its mental health implications
It’s been 20 months since the world shut down. In those first few months of the pandemic, our nation’s depression rates tripled. And now, as we approach the almost-two-year mark, these rates are even worse.
New research highlights the ongoing — and unequal — burden of the pandemic on our nation’s mental health. Consider these numbers. Before COVID-19, depression levels stood at 8.5%. In 2020, this number tripled to 27.8%. Today, they’re at 32.8%, affecting 1 in every 3 American adults.1
Conducted by the Boston University School of Public Health and published in The Lancet Regional Health Americas 2021, these findings are from the first nationally representative study in the US that examines the change in depression prevalence before and then during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study reports a high prevalence and continued persistence of elevated depressive symptoms among US adults more than one year after the start of the pandemic, particularly among those with lower household income and who experienced COVID-19 related stressors (e.g. job loss, not being married, challenges accessing childcare, difficulties paying rent, death of a loved one due to COVID).
What stands out to us here at WILA? The study’s suggestion that depressive symptoms remain high at the population level, and that socioeconomic inequalities in mental health are widening. As WILA is committed to providing affordable mental health services to people in our community that might not otherwise be able to receive services, the recent worldwide and countrywide rising mental health issues have put a strain on our community clinic.
Perhaps this makes the work we do at WILA more important than ever. To continue doing this work, we need your help, starting this #GivingTuesday2021!
Why is Giving Tuesday more important than ever?
Giving Tuesday is an international day dedicated to giving. It comes every year right between Thanksgiving and Christmas here in the U.S.
Giving Tuesday is a vital opportunity to reflect on the ways in which the pandemic had impacted your life and those in our communities, and to do something about it. #GivingTuesday is YOUR CHANCE to take action by supporting WILA’s ongoing efforts as well as future work to provide quality mental health to our Los Angeles community members!
WILA does not rely on government funding, but rather on donations from individuals in the community who care. 80% of all our funds go directly toward helping the people we serve and securing the future of our services. To achieve these important goals, we need your help during this challenging period.
We appreciate any contribution and guarantee that your donation will directly benefit the individuals in our community that have been impacted by the worldwide pandemic and are doing their best to overcome and prevail over the struggles of the past 20 months as well as over other challenges that have surfaced during the last couple of years.
An additional way to express your support for our work is by following us on INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, & TWITTER.
Please click here for more information on our services, on our team of culturally competent therapists, on our social action projects and what WILA is all about.
If you feel inspired this #GivingTuesday to help us help our community members to get help during these difficult times, please click here to make your contribution to our efforts.
Happy and Safe Holidays!
1 https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanam/article/PIIS2667-193X(21)00087-9/fulltext
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lana.2021.100091