How has Covid-19 Affected Mental Health in Michigan and Pennsylvania?
The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the deadliest pandemics in history and has affected many people around the world. The United States alone has recorded over 100 million cases of COVID-19 and more than 1,000,000 deaths, making it the most affected country in the world. (1) And this has led to a spike in healthcare costs. The CDC reports that hospitalizations and emergency room visits related to COVID-19 have increased by more than 40% since October 2018—and those numbers are expected to keep rising.
Effects in the US
The profound impact of the pandemic has led to widespread of job losses and business closures. The unemployment rate had skyrocketed which contributed to the significant increase in the poverty rate. Schools and Universities closed their doors, transitioning to remote learning.
It has increased absenteeism from work or school because of sickness or travel restrictions caused by COVID-19. This caused problems for businesses when employees couldn't come to work regularly or when schools missed out on funding because students were absent from school due to illness or travel restrictions caused by COVID-19.
The pandemic has also highlighted existing inequalities in the US healthcare system, with minority communities being disproportionately affected by the virus due to systemic disparities in access to healthcare and other resources.
Finally, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted mental health, with isolation, financial stress, and other pandemic-related stressors taking a toll on many Americans' mental well-being.
Effects on Mental Health
The World Health Organization estimates that nearly 1 million people have been infected by COVID-19. (2)
This pandemic has led to a severe reduction in productivity at work and school—which translated into low morale and high-stress levels for employees at home as well. And because COVID-19 could be fatal, many employees and students found themselves unable to focus on their work or studies because they're too worried about whether or not they'll survive the infection.
The CDC also found that rates of school-based mental health threats are up significantly since the pandemic. The agency says this is likely due to a combination of traumatic stressors, including increased access to social media posts about COVID-19 as well as a growing number of students who were experiencing anxiety or depression symptoms related to the pandemic.
In addition, LGBT youth were reported to have an increased level of poor mental health due to emotional abuse, including POCs that experienced racism which somehow has been linked to poor mental health during the pandemic. (3)
Michigan and Pennsylvania
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all states in the United States, but some have been hit harder than others. Michigan and Pennsylvania are 2 of the most affected states by COVID-19 as of February 27, 2023, based on the total number of confirmed cases: Pennsylvania – 3,512,137 cases and Michigan – 3,049,739 cases. (4)
In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic took a significant toll on mental health in Michigan and Pennsylvania. In Pennsylvania, the virus spread even faster than in Michigan. By December of that same year, a lot of people living in these two states were infected with COVID-19. After COVID-19 hit these states, many people reported feeling depressed or anxious as a result of their symptoms.
How has Covid-19 Affected Mental Health in Michigan and Pennsylvania?
The impact of COVID-19 on mental health is still being studied today, but we know some things about how it affected these two states:
There were more reported cases of depression for both men and women in Pennsylvania than for Michigan—but the rates were still lower than before COVID-19 hit.
Rates of anxiety increased significantly in both states after they were infected with COVID-19—but they didn't rise as much in Michigan as they did in Pennsylvania. This could be because people in Pennsylvania were more likely to seek out medical treatment for their symptoms than those who lived in Michigan
In Michigan, the state's Department of Community Health has reported that the number of people who have sought counseling or therapy has doubled since COVID-19 began. This can be especially true for children and teens, who are seeing more family members affected by COVID-19 than ever before. The state also reports that many people are feeling disconnected from their communities because they are too upset to go outside or engage with others. In fact, some people are choosing to stay inside all day long because they feel too overwhelmed by the situation they find themselves in at school or at work.
In Pennsylvania, there have been similar trends:
A rise in mental health hospitalizations and admissions for adults as well as children and adolescents.
An increase in suicide rates.
An increase in drug-related deaths.
Pennsylvania similarly saw an increase in mental health services being used by individuals seeking help for anxiety or depression as well as those dealing with PTSD due to COVID-19 exposure symptoms occurring after returning home from work or school instead of being able to rest at home as initially planned when leaving school/work early due to illness/illness-related absence.
Summary
Overall, the pandemic has had a significant impact on mental health in Michigan and Pennsylvania. It's crucial to prioritize mental health and seek help if needed. Many mental health organizations have increased their services during the pandemic to provide additional support, and there are also online resources available for those who may not be able to access in-person support.
Our mental health provider in Michigan, Arielle Bryant, specializes in individual, couple and family therapy modalities in the community.
We also have our Pennsylvania mental health providers, Katherine Quintero, and Michelle Varra-White, that can help and guide you on your journey to unpacking and experiencing deep-rooted struggles, some of which are even possibly caused by the pandemic.
References:
(2001). United States of America Situation. [online] covid19.who.int. Available at: https://covid19.who.int/region/amro/country/us [Accessed 1 Jan. 1970].
Globally , as of 11:04am CEST, 19 April 2023 , there have been 763,740,140 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 6,908,554 deaths , reported to WHO. As of 16 April 2023 , a total of 13,321,463,740 vaccine doses have been administered.. [online] covid19.who.int. Available at: https://covid19.who.int/ [Accessed 1 Jan. 1970].
(2001). United States of America Situation. [online] covid19.who.int. Available at: https://covid19.who.int/region/amro/country/us [Accessed 1 Jan. 1970].
New CDC data illuminate youth mental health threats during the COVID-19 pandemic | CDC Online Newsroom | CDC. [online] cdc.gov. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/p0331-youth-mental-health-covid-19.html [Accessed 1 Jan. 1970].
States with the highest COVID cases 2023 | Statista. [online] statista.com. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1102807/coronavirus-covid19-cases-number-us-americans-by-state/ [Accessed 1 Jan. 1970].