Survey finds mental health concerns increasing across America
Data from a recent survey conducted shows that a growing number of American adults have significant concerns about mental health.
According to CVS Health – the pharmacy giant’s health solutions division – more than two-thirds of Americans experienced concern about their own mental health or their family and friends’ mental health.
This marks a six percent increase from 2022 and a 15% increase from 2020, data indicated.
77% of those surveyed expressed that nationwide mental health was among their top concerns, which, according to CVS Health, was around the same percentage of people whose main concern was the economy.
Children’s mental health is also causing worry amongst Americans; the 70% of respondents who voiced concern for their children’s mental health was slightly more than the 66% of respondents who were more worried about physical health, researchers said.
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In addition, the survey found that 37% of adults believe social media has “hurt society at-large.”
“As a result, a third of adults have started to turn off notifications for social media apps and are attempting to spend less time on social media,” CVS Health said. “About half of parents feel that social media is impacting their children’s perceptions of the world and [their] development.”
“On the other hand, more than one in three adults report that social media has taught them about mental health issues,” researchers added.
The study found that nearly half of respondents (48%) turned to mental well-being apps for care, while other respondents consulted therapists.
“Mental health became a top concern in 2020 and it has only risen since,” Dr. Taft Parsons III, Vice President and Chief Psychiatric Officer at CVS Health said. “Uncertainty around the future, current events and social media continue to drive anxiety among adults.”
Dr. Parsons added that while new technology has helped more people access mental health care, social media and well-being apps can be tricky.
“Our increasing use of technology has helped increase access to mental health care and created a way for people to talk openly about the topic [and reduced] stigma,” he said. “But as we navigate the impacts social media has on mental health, it has become increasingly important that we highlight its limitations and set guardrails for ourselves and our children.”
The full survey results can be found here.
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