Along with plaguing millions, COVID-19 has caused a rise in mental illnesses in adults.

March 11, 2022, marks the two-year anniversary since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a pandemic via media briefing.

Along with the spread of the spread COVID-19, the newfound plummet in mental health is another issue we have seen during the pandemic. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "the percentage of U.S. adults with symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorders increased nationwide from August 2020 to February 2021.”

Using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4), CDC found that the range of adults reporting anxiety symptoms rates jumped from between 7.4 and 8.6 percent, to between 28.8 and 37.2 percent within a year. Depression symptom rates that went from between 5.9 and 7.5 percent, to 20.2 and 31.1 percent within a year. According to the CDC, these increases were among men, Asian Americans, young adults, and parents with children in the home.

According to the CDC website, "National COVID-19 trends demonstrate that certain populations have been disproportionately affected by high COVID-19 incidence, which also suggests that these populations might be more vulnerable to the psychological consequences of COVID-19."

“The pandemic brought about higher need for mental health support for our student population,” said Santa Monica College (SMC) counselor Maria Reynoso.

Reynoso further explained some students felt their anxiety and depression were heightened during the pandemic. There was also a spike in students asking for mental health help.

"Currently we are also hearing students address the increase in anxiety as they transition from virtual learning back to in-person learning,” said Reynoso.

There wasn't only an increase in student anxiety due to virtual learning, but also due to "sudden shift in learning modalities, lack of social connection, not being able to separate home from school responsibilities, and fears of the unknown," Reynoso said.

Some SMC students are also experiencing a rise in depression. "Many did not know how to manage their feelings and related changes," said Reynoso.

The CDC reported “The frequency of symptoms subsequently decreased but in June 2021 remained elevated compared with estimates from the 2019 National Health Information System (NHIS).”

Resources available to SMC students struggling with mental health include individual therapy services for students, a 24/7 Support Line (800 691-6003), and Guardian Scholars, a program committed to supporting current and former foster youth exiting the foster care system, also provides students with guidance on mental health topics.

More information is available at SMC’s Center for Wellness and Wellbeing, whose website can be found at https://www.smc.edu/student-support/health-wellbeing/center-for-wellness-and-wellbeing/. The Center for Wellness and Wellbeing also has a youtube channel with resources here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy-9nZIK-CZTo-rn2qjnUqg.