The Washington Post (12/24, A1, Iati) reported, “Nearly two years into a pandemic coexistent with several national crises, many Americans are profoundly tense.” Americans are “snapping at each other more frequently, suffering from physical symptoms of stress and seeking methods of self-care.” In the most extreme cases, they are “acting out their anger in public – bringing their internal struggles to bear on interactions with strangers, mental health experts said.” Some of those behaviors “appear to be the result of living through a long-lasting public emergency with no clear endpoint, the experts said.” American Psychiatric Association Committee on the Psychiatric Dimensions of Disaster chair Joshua Morganstein said, “When people are presented with situations that seem overwhelming, they are more apt to give up in a sense and lock more tightly to a single perspective and approach, because the work that’s necessary to hold on to all this different information is just too much.”

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (12/22) reports, “More than 1 in 4 respondents to an APA poll said that improving their mental health is on their minds for 2022.” According to the poll [pdf], “just over one-third of respondents (37%) said they are anxious about their mental health going into the new year,” and “among those making resolutions focused on mental health, 53% will meditate, 37% plan to see a therapist, 35% will take a break from social media, 32% will journal, 26% will use a mental health app, and 20% plan to see a psychiatrist specifically.” These “findings are from APA’s Healthy Minds Monthly, a poll conducted by Morning Consult.” APA President Vivian Pender, M.D., said, “The new calendar year for many symbolizes a time for renewal, for trying new things, and, for some, new beginnings.” She added, “To see 1 in 4 Americans focusing on their mental health in this moment is important and encouraging. What is worrisome, although not unexpected, is the level of variation among demographic groups on their overall level of mental health, and we as psychiatrists need to understand those trends.”

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— “1 in 4 Americans Wants to Improve Their Mental Health in 2022, Psychiatric News, December 22, 2021

The New York Times (12/22, Hartocollis) reports, “Colleges across the country are facing a mental health crisis, driven in part by the pandemic.” Students “are anxious, socially isolated, depressed – and overwhelming mental health centers,” after nearly “two years of remote schooling, restricted gatherings and constant testing.” Furthermore, the rate of suicides has increased at some universities. University administrations are worried that a second coronavirus surge and set of lockdowns due to the Omicron variant will exacerbate the problem.

Related Links:

— “Another Surge in the Virus Has Colleges Fearing a Mental Health Crisis “Anemona Hartocollis, The New York Times, December 22, 2021

Kaiser Health News (12/21, Szabo) reports, “The pandemic has created a hostile environment for pregnant people and their babies.” Pregnant women infected with COVID-19 “are five times as likely as uninfected pregnant people to require intensive care and 22 times as likely to die.” Furthermore, “babies of covid-infected moms are 60% more likely to be born very prematurely, which increases the danger of infant mortality and long-term disabilities such as cerebral palsy, asthma and hearing loss, as well as a child’s risk of adult disease, including depression, anxiety, heart disease and kidney disease.”

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— “Pandemic Poses Short- and Long-Term Risks to Babies, Especially Boys ” Liz Szabo, Kaiser Health News, December 21, 2021

HealthDay (12/21) reports, “Public stigma toward depression seems to have decreased, according to a study.” The findings were published online Dec. 21 in JAMA Network Open.

Psychiatric News (12/21) reports, “To better understand the nature and magnitude of public stigma over two decades for major mental illnesses, the researchers analyzed data from the 1996, 2006, and 2018 U.S. National Stigma Studies, which are part of the General Social Survey,” and “the participants were randomly assigned to one vignette describing a fictitious person with behaviors meeting DSM-4 criteria for schizophrenia, major depression, or alcohol dependence or a control.”

Related Links:

— “Public Stigma Toward Depression Decreased From 2006 to 2018, HealthDay, December 21, 2021