As the coronavirus pandemic wears on with no end in sight, Tony Salvatore keeps hearing from more and more young adults in crisis. Young adults are totally overwhelmed by everything,” said Salvatore, the chairperson of the Montgomery County Suicide Prevention Team hotline. “They’re not so much concerned about getting COVID-19 as they are about the effect that it has had on their lives and the lives of people around them.”
A report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week found that among 5,400 respondents, nearly 41% reported at least one mental or behavioral health condition, such as symptoms of anxiety, depression, trauma, or increased use of substances to cope. Anxiety symptoms reported between June 24 and 30 were three times as prevalent as the second quarter of 2019, and depression was four times as high. Young adults in particular were affected — nearly 75% of respondents between the ages of 18 and 24 reported experiencing at least one behavioral or mental health symptom.
A quarter of young adults reported that they had thought about suicide in June, compared with nearly 11% of respondents overall reporting they were seriously considering suicide in the 30 days before completing the survey, doubling pre-COVID-19 rates. Black and Latino people, caregivers, and essential workers were particularly vulnerable to such thoughts.
Parents or caregivers that notice that a young person is struggling, they should encourage them to consider teletherapy sooner rather than later. Changes in behavior can be a sign that someone needs professional help, she said. “One of the biggest predictors that someone’s mental health is starting to take a hit is a lack of future planning,” Brown said. “We want to see young people thinking about their future, even if some of the pieces of the puzzle are missing right now. When youth start to think hopelessly about the future, that’s when risk elevates.”
If you or someone you know is thinking of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text TALK to the Crisis Text Line at 741741
