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What It’s Like to Experience Depression for the First Time, in a Pandemic
These times are unprecedented, and so is this mental health crisis
If you or someone you know need help, consider calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1–800–273-TALK (8255) for English, 1–888–628–9454 for Spanish.
Covid-19 cases aren’t the only stats that have climbed since March. As the pandemic has progressed, so have rates of depression — and it’s not just a tiny jump. A new study estimates that depression rates have likely tripled due to the pandemic. Tripled.
The study, conducted by Boston University School of Public Health and published in JAMA Network Open, found that 27.8% of people were experiencing depression symptoms mid-pandemic, versus 8.5% before the pandemic. The researchers who conducted the study expected to see a jump in depression rates, but not this much.
“We knew that poor mental health increased after large-scale events, based on previous research,” says Catherine Ettman, lead author of the study and director of strategic initiatives at Boston University School of Public Health. “We were surprised at the high levels of depression; these rates were higher than what we have seen in the general population after other large-scale traumas like September 11th, Hurricane Katrina, and the Hong Kong unrest.”
While depression can affect anyone, the study found that people with lower income, fewer savings, and more stressors were at higher risk for depression. According to Ettman, some of those Covid-related stressors included losing a job, losing a loved one to the coronavirus, and difficulty paying rent. Additionally, women were more likely to be depressed, both before and during the pandemic.
To learn how people are being affected firsthand, I spoke to three young adults who are experiencing depression for the first time during the pandemic and asked them what their mental health struggle has been like.
Olivia, 27, was a happy digital nomad — a remote worker who travels the world — before Covid-19 hit and changed everything. When she could no longer travel safely and was out of work, the depression began. While she’d experienced anxiety in the past, the feelings of depression…
