Mental Health Survey: Rage, Election Worries and Covid-19 Fears Plague Americans

BELLEVUE, Wash., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- One in four Americans report feelings of rage and more than half (58%) worry about upcoming elections. Those are some of the key findings of a new online mental health survey of 1,600 Americans conducted by LifeStance Health, a leading provider of outpatient behavioral health services in the US. The survey also found nearly a third (32%) rank coronavirus as their number one fear. 

Despite those feelings, an overwhelming number of Americans rate their own mental health status positively: (85%) say their mental health is OK, good or excellent. Nearly half (48%) say they are optimistic about the prospects of a return to "normal life" over the next 6-12 months.

"We're living in unprecedented times, and people are experiencing a tremendous number of conflicting emotions and feelings," said Dr. Anisha Patel-Dunn, a psychiatrist and Chief Medical Officer at LifeStance. "On one hand, we see fear, anxiety, depression and grief. But people want to feel good, they want to go back to their pre-pandemic lives – and the optimism being reported could reflect that very strong desire to return to more normal times."

Dr. Patel-Dunn added that there may also be an element of "denial," with people saying they feel good when they are, in fact, anxious or depressed. "People are so programmed to respond to the question 'how are you?' by saying they're "fine," she noted. "They don't want to focus on the negative so it can be a coping mechanism."

Other key findings of the survey include:

• A total of 38% of respondents say the upcoming presidential election is negatively affecting their sleep habits.
  
  
• Nearly half (47%) of those surveyed said they have not sought mental health treatment due to cost or lack of access, while only 11% report seeking therapy to improve their mental health.
  
  
• There was an almost even split between respondents saying they are hopeful (49%) that civil unrest will subside in the next 6-12 months, versus 51% who had a more pessimistic view (26% percent said they expect civil unrest to "get worse").
  
  
• Almost one in five (18%) said the weak economy has made them consider "stealing or acting unethically to support" themselves or their family.
  
  
• Nearly half (46%) of Americans say they are taking medication or supplements to improve their mental health.

Dr. Patel-Dunn noted: "I'm particularly concerned by the large number of people who said they have not sought mental health treatment because of cost or lack of access. The discrepancy between the relatively low number of people seeking treatment and the large number of people taking medication or supplements to feel better is a reflection on the importance of  making mental healthcare affordable and available to everyone." 

Methodology:

The nationwide survey drew 1,623 respondents and was conducted via SurveyMonkey between August 24 and 26, 2020.

About LifeStance Health, Inc.
LifeStance is a national provider of behavioral healthcare services focused on providing evidenced-based, medically driven treatment services for children, adolescents and adults suffering from a variety of mental health issues in an outpatient care setting, both in-person and through its digital health telemedicine offering. At LifeStance, patient care is paramount – the driving force in everything we do. LifeStance is committed to state-of-the-art clinical excellence, to partnership and collaboration with other treating health care providers to ensure continuity of care, to utilization of data to individually tailor services for continual improvement in outcomes, and to empowering patients to make informed choices and help them achieve their goals. To learn more, please visit www.LifeStance.com.

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SOURCE LifeStance Health