US rates of depression are triple pre-COVID-19 levels

Editor's Note

This study led by researchers at the Boston University School of Public Health finds that depression symptoms in the US are three-fold higher than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of 1,441 individuals surveyed during the COVID-19 pandemic and 5,065 surveyed before the pandemic, depression symptoms were higher in every category during COVID-19 than before:

• Mild depression: 24.6% vs 16.2%
• Moderate depression: 14.8% vs 5.7%
• Moderately severe depression: 7.9% vs 2.1%
• Severe depression: 5.1% vs 0.7%.

Higher risk of depression symptoms during COVID-19 was associated with lower income, having less than $5000 in savings, and exposure to more stressors (eg, losing a job, death of someone close due to COVID-19, having financial problems).

Post-COVID-19 plans should account for the increase in mental illness to come, the researchers say.