A survey commissioned by Vida Health, which provides therapeutic programs tailored to individuals suffering from chronic illnesses, found that since the COVID War began last year, more than one in every six Americans entered therapy for the first time.
The poll also found 45 percent of the 2,000 people surveyed said they had considered seeking treatment for mental stress since the arrival of the coronavirus, while only 15 percent reported no increase in significant psychological stress.
The arrival of winter combined with continued isolation from COVID restrictions has intensified mental stress. Sixty-two percent of respondents say they suffer depression worse during the winter season.
Almost 90 percent of those surveyed suffered at least some level of serious mental trauma in 2020, specifically:
- Little interest or pleasure (52 percent)
- Trouble falling or staying asleep (52 percent)
- Feeling depressed or hopeless (51 percent)
Teachers Among the Most Stressed
Given the constant closing, opening, then closing again of schools around the U.S., it’s no surprise that teachers are among the most stressed-out Americans.
This past autumn, almost 75 percent of the largest school districts in the United States banned students from classrooms. Suddenly, students were forced to learn remotely, and nearly half of all schools nationwide were restricted to virtual learning. The hybrid form of classroom teaching allowed only part of the week took place in just 27 percent of schools.
According to a USA Today report on 4 January,
“Between the unpredictability, the isolation, and the newfound challenges in reaching their students – who mental health experts worry are also struggling – what little mental health support is extended to teachers feels like nowhere near enough.”
The article included an interview with a Massachusetts high school teacher and mother of three who counted on her weekly therapy session to keep her going. But, last fall, like so many teachers, “she found herself juggling an impossible burden: educating students in a pandemic while stewarding her own family through the crisis.” She couldn’t find time for her much-needed therapy session.
As the article states, “The stress on her is so great, she isn’t sleeping. Before the pandemic, she suffered migraines every few months and called in sick on those days. Now, she has one a week, an increase she attributes to stress. She makes herself work through the pain. She’s exhausted.”
The article also quoted a middle school teacher from the state of Washington who felt psychologically defeated: “I spend all day staring at a screen and kind of generating enthusiasm into the void that Zoom is, and I end the day so tired, and so done, and so frustrated. The moments of joy I used to have are so much rarer.”
No Surprise
The warning signs of over-stressed teachers have been present since last summer. As written in a July study published in the journal Teachers College Record by researchers at the Boston University School of Education,
“When teachers return to work in the fall, the schools they re-enter will look quite different from the schools they left behind in March. Schools are anticipating substantially increased demand to support student mental health, as many will return to school having experienced loss and grief, months of social isolation, and heightened rates of familial violence and poverty. To meet the needs of these youth, it will be crucial to support the mental health and wellness of teachers and school staff who provide their care.”
The mental health crisis has spiked to such a degree that relief is nowhere in sight. Last September, a survey from The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards showed:
- “80 percent of teachers found remote learning to be a serious obstacle.
- 20 percent were working at least 15 hours longer each week compared to pre-COVID.
- 31 percent had to spend more out of pocket money on teaching
- Only 28 percent report their school or district provides adequate access to mental health support for students and teachers.”
TRENDPOST: While the survey commissioned by Vida Health shows one in six Americans entering therapy for the first time due to increased levels of stress since the arrival of COVID, many health professionals are concerned that the U.S. mental health system, as reported by the Washington Post, “is vastly underfunded, fragmented and difficult to access before the pandemic – is even less prepared to handle this.”
Psychiatrist Dr. Susan Borja of the National Institute of Mental Health revealed, “That’s what keeps me up at night. I worry about the people the system just won’t absorb or won’t reach. I worry about the suffering that’s going to go untreated on such a large scale.”
TREND FORECAST: We forecast the true mental toll on young people, who are filled with energy and a lust for life and are being forced to live locked-down lives, will have long-lasting negative implications.
Most significantly, they hunger for new messages, sounds, styles, and products to lift their spirits and motivate positive ambitions and desires.