Study Warns COVID-19 Pandemic Has Likely Tripled Depression Rate

(Newswire.net — October 8, 2021) Orlando, FL — Covid-19 continues to claim more and more lives and it has been linked with certain health issues. These include mental health problems like depression. 

A study was carried out and published in the JAMA Network Open journal.

In this first-of-its-kind study, it has been found that 27.8 percent of adults in the United States had symptoms of depression as of mid-April, compared to 8.5 percent before the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was carried out in the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH).

Further, the study has also shown that in the time of Covid-19, income and savings are the most dramatic predictors of depression symptoms.

“Depression in the general population after prior large-scale traumatic events has been observed to, at most, double,” says study senior author Dr. Sandro Galea, Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor at BUSPH.

“We were surprised to see these results at first, but other studies since conducted suggest similar-scale mental health consequences,” Galeaadds. 

This new BUSPH study is the first nationally representative study in the U.S. to evaluate the change in depression rates before and during COVID. It involved the use of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ 9), which is the leading self-administered depression screening tool.

The investigators utilized data from 5,065 respondents to the 2017-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), as well as 1,441 respondents from the COVID-19 Life Stressors Impact on Mental Health and Well-Being (CLIMB) study.

The investigators found an increase in the symptoms of depression among all demographic groups. A major predictor of depression symptoms is experiencing more stressors linked with Covid-19. However, the biggest difference in demographics came down to money.

More particularly, someone with less than $5,000 in savings was 50 percent more susceptible to having depression symptoms than someone with more than $5,000.

An increasing number of research studies are looking into the remedies potentially helpful for mental health. It is worth keeping in mind that following healthy dietary and lifestyle practices are key to warding off depression. 

There are nutrients like B vitamins that could be helpful in delivering anti-depressants effects. Folate is one of the B vitamins found to be particularly beneficial for mental health. 

Studies have demonstrated intake of these nutrients significantly reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety. They may be obtained through the use of formulas like Divine Bounty B Vitamins Complex. 

It contains Choline, Pantothenic acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12, Folic Acid, Niacin, Riboflavin, Thiamin, and vitamin B6 (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07414752B).