The number of Americans seeking mental health services has surged during the COVID-19 pandemic. With anxiety and depression on the rise, mental health experts across the nation have been inundated with patients desperately needing help but unable to secure appointments.
A recent Gallup poll found that America’s mental health has deteriorated to the worst point it has been in two decades. Only 34% of U.S. adults say their mental health is excellent, down from 43% last year.
“Never at any time in my practice have I had a five-person waiting list,” said psychotherapist Brooke Huminski, of Providence, R.I., according to The New York Times.
A poll conducted last November by the American Psychological Association found that 74% of the psychologists surveyed said that since the COVID-19 pandemic they were seeing more patients with anxiety disorders, and 60% more with depressive disorders. Overall, the experts saw a 30% increase in patient load.
The increase has also been evident in online therapy platforms, according to news reports. Mindy Heintskill, chief marketing officer at MDLive, a telehealth provider, said its services went up fivefold in 2020 compared to 2019. Nearly half of the patients said they were suffering from stress and anxiety.
A survey conducted last June by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 40% of American adults struggled with mental health or addiction issues. Emergency visits to medical facilities relating to suicide attempts, drug overdoses, and child abuse and neglect also skyrocketed in 2020 compared to 2019.
Unfortunately, according to the Times, there is an unequal distribution of mental health experts to serve the needs of the mentally stressed across the U.S. and even the telehealth services offered by outlets like MDLive, Talkspace, and BetterHelp cannot address the shortages.
Dr. Gregory Scott Brown, a board-certified psychiatrist, wellness advocate, and the director of the Center for Green Psychiatry, in Austin, Texas, suggests asking your primary care provider or other healthcare expert for help in finding a mental health counselor.
“Ask if they happen to know someone who may be accepting new patients,” he said, according to the Times. You can also try calling colleges or universities to see if they have clinicians in training who can help, according to the Times.
Psychology Today lists mental health experts and the federal government maintains a website where you can search for local facilities that treat substance disorders, addiction, and mental illness. There are also several support groups that provide resources. Check out the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the National Eating Disorders Association, Alcoholics Anonymous, or the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance.
If you, or someone you know, may be having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK).