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Prevalence of Depression Symptoms in US Adults Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

TLDR
There is a high burden of depression symptoms in the US associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and that this burden falls disproportionately on individuals who are already at increased risk.
Abstract
Importance The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the policies to contain it have been a near ubiquitous exposure in the US with unknown effects on depression symptoms. Objective To estimate the prevalence of and risk factors associated with depression symptoms among US adults during vs before the COVID-19 pandemic. Design, Setting, and Participants This nationally representative survey study used 2 population-based surveys of US adults aged 18 or older. During COVID-19, estimates were derived from the COVID-19 and Life Stressors Impact on Mental Health and Well-being study, conducted from March 31, 2020, to April 13, 2020. Before COVID-19 estimates were derived from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted from 2017 to 2018. Data were analyzed from April 15 to 20, 2020. Exposures The COVID-19 pandemic and outcomes associated with the measures to mitigate it. Main Outcomes and Measures Depression symptoms, defined using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 cutoff of 10 or higher. Categories of depression symptoms were defined as none (score, 0-4), mild (score, 5-9), moderate (score, 10-14), moderately severe (score, 15-19), and severe (score, ≥20). Results A total of 1470 participants completed the COVID-19 and Life Stressors Impact on Mental Health and Well-being survey (completion rate, 64.3%), and after removing those with missing data, the final during–COVID-19 sample included 1441 participants (619 participants [43.0%] aged 18-39 years; 723 [50.2%] men; 933 [64.7%] non-Hispanic White). The pre–COVID-19 sample included 5065 participants (1704 participants [37.8%] aged 18-39 years; 2588 [51.4%] women; 1790 [62.9%] non-Hispanic White). Depression symptom prevalence was higher in every category during COVID-19 compared with before (mild: 24.6% [95% CI, 21.8%-27.7%] vs 16.2% [95% CI, 15.1%-17.4%]; moderate: 14.8% [95% CI, 12.6%-17.4%] vs 5.7% [95% CI, 4.8%-6.9%]; moderately severe: 7.9% [95% CI, 6.3%-9.8%] vs 2.1% [95% CI, 1.6%-2.8%]; severe: 5.1% [95% CI, 3.8%-6.9%] vs 0.7% [95% CI, 0.5%-0.9%]). Higher risk of depression symptoms during COVID-19 was associated with having lower income (odds ratio, 2.37 [95% CI, 1.26-4.43]), having less than $5000 in savings (odds ratio, 1.52 [95% CI, 1.02-2.26]), and exposure to more stressors (odds ratio, 3.05 [95% CI, 1.95-4.77]). Conclusions and Relevance These findings suggest that prevalence of depression symptoms in the US was more than 3-fold higher during COVID-19 compared with before the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals with lower social resources, lower economic resources, and greater exposure to stressors (eg, job loss) reported a greater burden of depression symptoms. Post–COVID-19 plans should account for the probable increase in mental illness to come, particularly among at-risk populations.

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References
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Journal ArticleDOI

The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure.

TL;DR: In addition to making criteria-based diagnoses of depressive disorders, the PHQ-9 is also a reliable and valid measure of depression severity, which makes it a useful clinical and research tool.
Journal ArticleDOI

Factors Associated With Mental Health Outcomes Among Health Care Workers Exposed to Coronavirus Disease 2019.

TL;DR: Among Chinese health care workers exposed to COVID-19, women, nurses, those in Wuhan, and front-line health care Workers have a high risk of developing unfavorable mental health outcomes and may need psychological support or interventions.
Journal ArticleDOI

The psychological impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on college students in China.

TL;DR: Having relatives or acquaintances infected with COVID-19 was a risk factor for increasing the anxiety of college students and economic effects, and effects on daily life, as well as delays in academic activities, were positively associated with anxiety symptoms.
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The effects of stressful life events on depression.

TL;DR: This chapter reviews recent research on the relationship between stressful life experiences and depression, and a distinction is made between aggregate studies of overall stress effects and focused studies of particular events and difficulties.
Journal ArticleDOI

Mental health problems and social media exposure during COVID-19 outbreak.

TL;DR: There are high prevalence of mental health problems, which positively associated with frequently SME during the COVID-19 outbreak, and the government need pay more attention to mental health issues among general population and combating with “infodemic” while combating during public health emergency.
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Is depression a risk factor for Covid 19?

Meaning These findings suggest that there is a high burden of depression symptoms in the US associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and that this burden falls disproportionately on individuals who are already at increased risk.