Did you know?

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that rates of anxiety and depression rose dramatically after the onset of COVID-19. According to the CDC, the range of average monthly percentages of adults in the United States reporting symptoms of anxiety between January and December of 2019 was 7.4 percent to 8.6 percent. Between April 2020, or roughly three weeks after the World Health Organization declared a global COVID-19 pandemic, and August 2021, the average submonthly percentages of U.S. residents reporting symptoms of anxiety was between 28.2 percent and37.2percent.Thatmeans the rate of anxiety rose by about four times between April 2020 and August 2021. Asimilarspikewasprevalent among U.S. adults reporting symptoms of depression during that same period. Though percentages were between 5.9 and 7.5 percent between JanuaryandDecember2019, they rose to between 20.2 and 31.1 percent between April 2020andAugust2021.These figures are important to keep in mind as the world tries to move on from the pandemic. Despite individuals’ best efforts, rates of anxiety and depression could remain signifi cantly higher than they were in 2019, underscoring the need for accessible education about each disorder.