04
Mental Health Is A Matter of Public Health, Too
Bloomberg CityLab
Feb. 6 marked the anniversary of the first known death attributed to Covid-19 in the U.S., and the days that follow will offer reminders that it’s been 12 months since cities started locking down.
The mood has shifted considerably since last March: Rates of infection, hospitalization and deaths are falling in many countries; vaccines are getting approved and into arms; and experts suggest there’s reason to be hopeful about the summer. But there’s no vaccine that can erase the toll of the social isolation, grief and anxiety that the past year has brought.
According to an American Psychiatric Association survey from October 2020, 62% of Americans feel more anxious than they did at this time last year, nearly double the rate of the previous year. Drug overdose deaths reached 81,0000 from May 2019 to May 2020, a new 12-month high.