The year 2020 may go down as one of the worse years in recent history due to the on-going events that have spiraled people’s health, finances, and overall livelihood. Mental health was already an on-going issue that needed to be addressed. This year? Mental health problems have gotten worse.
The factors remain the same: financial woes, family problems, substance abuse, stress, and more. The coronavirus has become the accelerating factor that is unprecedented, and America was not ready.
New data has come out from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), highlighting increased substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, and depression.
Read on to find out more about which groups have been affected the most with increased mental health issues. Also, what does this mean for Florida? Increased demand and budget cuts may point to a grim outlook.
Who is Hurting the Most?
The CDC conducted a survey back in late June, and the results are in and analyzed in August. The data found that younger adults, essential workers, Hispanics, and Black people are having increased mental health issues, including the biggest groups to contemplate suicide and use drugs to cope with the coronavirus pandemic.
Source: CDC (provides extended table with more comprehensive information)
The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report by the CDC states:
“Prevalences of symptoms of adverse mental or behavioral health conditions varied significantly among subgroups. Suicidal ideation was more prevalent among males than among females. Symptoms of anxiety disorder or depressive disorder, COVID-19–related TSRD, initiation of or increase in substance use to cope with COVID-19–associated stress, and serious suicidal ideation in the previous 30 days were most commonly reported by persons aged 18–24 years; prevalence decreased progressively with age. Hispanic respondents reported higher prevalences of symptoms of anxiety disorder or depressive disorder, COVID-19–related TSRD, increased substance use, and suicidal ideation than did non-Hispanic whites (whites) or non-Hispanic Asian (Asian) respondents. Black respondents reported increased substance use and past 30-day serious consideration of suicide in the previous 30 days more commonly than did white and Asian respondents. Respondents who reported treatment for diagnosed anxiety, depression, or PTSD at the time of the survey reported higher prevalences of symptoms of adverse mental and behavioral health conditions compared with those who did not. Symptoms of a COVID-19–related TSRD, increased substance use, and suicidal ideation were more prevalent among employed than unemployed respondents, and among essential workers than nonessential workers. Adverse conditions also were more prevalent among unpaid caregivers for adults than among those who were not, with particularly large differences in increased substance use (32.9% versus 6.3%) and suicidal ideation (30.7% versus 3.6%) in this group.”
In June, Florida cut budgets regarding mental health due to losses in other sectors. For instance, Florida gets most of its revenue from tourism, which slowed down due to COVID-19. This, coupled with the shutdowns of businesses, did not stimulate the economy, resulting in net losses. As a result, Florida slashed 1 billion dollars in various areas, including 12 million going to mental health.
In an article by the Tampa Bay Times, budget cuts were highlighted, and many worry about what this could result in for the future. One woman stated:
“Providers worry what these cuts could mean for a state that’s showing increasing signs of mental health stress. For example, Christine Cauffield, the CEO of Lutheran Services Florida Health systems, the state’s second-largest managing entity, said Duval County has seen a 40% increase in overdose deaths since the start of the pandemic. Suicides and domestic violence calls are spiking there as well, she said.”
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