Coronavirus erases stigma of mental-health issues, care

COVID-19 is not only a challenge to our physical health, but to our mental health as well. Stress caused by the possibility of losing one’s life — or losing a loved one — has caused increasing numbers of people to experience anxiety, depression or other behavioral health issues.

Such feelings can be exacerbated by worries about financial security, interpersonal tensions caused by sharing close quarters, or isolation due to stay-at-home orders.

As the health and financial stresses of coronavirus become more pervasive, there are indications that the longstanding stigma attached to mental-health issues such as anxiety or depression may be easing somewhat. And that is motivating increasing numbers of our friends, family members and colleagues to seek treatment for conditions that otherwise might have gone unacknowledged and unaddressed.

Certainly, there is a great need for this stigma to be lifted. Statistics compiled by the National Alliance on Mental Illness show that one in five U.S. adults will experience mental illness in a typical year, and nearly 66 million people have experienced either an anxiety disorder or a major depressive episode. But, only about 43% of those with mental illness ever seek treatment.

This aversion to “opening up” about mental health is partly due to societal prejudices, as well as individual misconceptions about what it means to have “control” over one’s emotional state.

To put this problem in perspective, imagine the devastating impact on our society if a majority of the people suffering from a treatable physical ailment refused to seek the help of a medical professional.

Even before the onset of the coronavirus, a number of highly visible public figures began revealing their own personal experiences with anxiety or depression — helping to lift the “veil of secrecy” that has kept so many people from seeking mental-health services. This trend has become more pronounced since the coronavirus outbreak.

Among the celebrities from the worlds of entertainment, sports, and other fields who have spoken about their mental health struggles are Billie Eilish, Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson, Nicki Minaj, Lady Gaga, Michael Phelps, J.K. Rowling and Oscar de la Hoya. Beyoncé has not only discussed her bout with depression, but recently pledged $6 million to mental health charities and other initiatives for continued outreach efforts during the coronavirus pandemic.

As more “influencers” openly discuss their own mental health issues, it is paving the way for more and better communication about mental health between friends and family. This trend will be particularly helpful for members of the millennial and Generation Z demographics, who are reportedly experiencing higher rates of depression as compared with older generations, according to recent studies.

At the same time, the proliferation of stay-at-home orders has had the effect of increasing the willingness of many people to take advantage of telehealth services. For example, at LifeStance Health, we are providing roughly 25,000 telepsychiatry and teletherapy sessions per week, an increase of about 5,000% since the onset of the pandemic.

Society’s increasing openness about mental health issues is an extremely positive trend, so it is encouraging that action is being taken to ease some of the structural obstacles that may prevent many people from receiving treatment through telehealth.

Florida is one state that has created a registration process for out-of-state health care professionals to deliver telehealth services to Florida patients, while also setting telehealth practice standards. MaI am hopeful that these favorable developments will continue even after the threat of the pandemic is safely behind us.

Although the threat of COVID-19 is leading to more instances of anxiety and depression, we can take some comfort from the fact that people are increasingly willing to seek treatment, and that teletherapy has made that treatment more readily accessible.

We truly have come a long way in reducing the stigma that has kept so many people from seeking treatment for mental health conditions — we must now build on that progress.