Mental illnesses can be acute or chronic and are diagnosable conditions that affect an individual’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being, and often their behavior. These conditions include depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and mood or personality disorders, among others.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health conditions have been exacerbated. More than 30% of adults in the U.S. have reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder since the start of the pandemic in early 2020. In comparison, in 2019, approximately 10% of adults reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder. Below are some statistics form the Kaiser Family Foundations recent assessment of New Mexico’s mental health needs.
From September 29 to October 11, 2021, 31.9% of adults in New Mexico reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder, compared to 31.6% of adults in the U.S.
Many individuals reported having a mental illness even before the pandemic. The share of adults in New Mexico with any mental illness was 21.4% in 2018-2019, which was similar to the U.S. share (19.9%).
Prior to the pandemic, 18.6% of adolescents and 8.1% of adults in New Mexico reported having a major depressive episode in the past year, which was similar to the U.S. shares (15.1% and 7.5%, respectively).
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Source: Kaiser Family Foundation
Great article!