The direct physical toll of COVID-19 is abundantly clear.  As of this writing, we have had more than 112 million cases across the globe with 2.5 million deaths. Within the U.S., we have experienced almost 29 million cases with close to 508,000 deaths.

The economic toll of the pandemic is also staggering.  According to The Economist, the pandemic could amount to $10 trillion in lost global GDP from 2020 through 2021, and nearly 10 million U.S. workers remain unemployed due to COVID.

What is becoming equally clear is the increasing toll of COVID-19 on our mental health.  According to a new Pew survey, 70% of those who are jobless say being out of work has left them more stressed out.  Over five in ten said they were dealing with more mental health challenges like anxiety and depression.  Among this same group, 81% said they have felt adrift and have fought more with loved ones since losing their jobs.

COVID is also having a dramatic impact on the mental health of our students within the U.S., which, in turn, is affecting the cognitive capacities like memory, focus and planning.  According to a neuroscientific study conducted by Total Brain and the Center for Adolescent Research and Education:

• 45% of students are at-risk for social anxiety,
• 39% are at-risk for PTSD, and
• The risk of common mental health conditions is 19% to 41% higher for females than males

Deteriorating mental health is usually linked with a decline in cognitive capacities.  Participants within this study ranked 37^th percentile in memory, 37^th percentile in focus and 34^th percentile in planning.  What makes the Total Brain study so unique is that it looks at the relationship between common mental health conditions and actual brain capacities.

From June through September 2020, Mental Health America hosted a survey to listen to the experiences of healthcare workers during COVID-19.  The survey found:

Stressed out and stretched too thin: 93% of healthcare workers were experiencing stress, 86% reported experiencing anxiety, 77% reported frustration, 76% reported exhaustion and burnout, and 75% said they were overwhelmed.

Worried about exposing loved ones: 76% of healthcare workers with children reported that they were worried about exposing their child to COVID-19, nearly half were worried about exposing their spouse or partner, and 47% were worried that they would expose their older adult family member(s).

Emotionally and physically exhausted: Emotional exhaustion was the most common answer for changes in how healthcare workers were feeling over the previous three months (82%), followed by trouble with sleep (70%), physical exhaustion (68%) and work-related dread (63%).  Over half selected changes in appetite (57%), physical symptoms like headache or stomachache (56%), questioning career path (55%), compassion fatigue (52%) and heightened awareness or attention to being exposed (52%).  Nurses reported having a higher exposure to COVID-19 (41%) and they were more likely to feel too tired (67%) compared to other healthcare workers (63%).

Not getting enough emotional support: 39% of healthcare workers said that they did not feel like they had adequate emotional support.  Nurses were even less likely to have emotional support (45%).

Struggling with parenting: Among people with children, half reported they are lacking quality time or are unable to support their children or be a present parent.

As the demand for mental health services sky rockets, access to affordable solutions remains extremely limited.  Based on research from the National Council for Behavioral Health, the barriers to accessing needed mental health services within the U.S. include:

• The high cost of mental health treatment and the ongoing lack of insurance coverage,
• A limited number of treatment options and long wait times,
• Lack of awareness among Americans as to where and how to secure treatment, and
• The social stigma associated with seeking mental health treatment.

The ongoing mental health crisis requires each one of us to be alert within all of the roles within lives – as parents, partners, family, friends, employers, co-workers and fellow citizens.  If you believe that someone you know is in need of support, The National Alliance on Mental Illness has a Help Line at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264).

For questions or more information, please contact Ron Flower at RFlower@3Dhealthinc.com or Shane Foreman at SForeman@3Dhealthinc.com.

Sources: Center for Adolescent Research and Education, Mental Health America, National Council for Behavioral Health, Pew Research Center, The Economist, Total Brain, USA Today, and yahoo!finance.