TAMPA, Fla. — The pandemic may have started nearly four years ago, but it’s still wreaking havoc on our mental health today.
“Go connect face to face with those family and friends that you might have not been connecting with ever since the pandemic,” said Alan Davidson, the President and CEO of the Central Coast Behavioral Health Network.
He continued, “We're coming out of the pandemic, and people have been isolated a lot. And just that those effects right there, I think another thing that could be happening is isolation. We had three years where people were pretty isolated, and they lost a lot of friend groups. And now it's coming out of that.”
A new survey from The American Psychological Association reveals Americans aged 35-44 had the highest increase in mental health diagnoses last year.
It jumped from 31% in 2019 to 45% in 2023.
Those age groups say money and the economy were the factors that caused them significant stress compared to 2019.
“You should be entering those peak earning years, from 35 to 50, from 40 to 55. So you're really working a lot and then taking care of kids that are getting older and maybe even taking care of aging parents during that time,” explained Davidson.
And chronic health conditions also jumped, going from 31% in 2019 to 45% in 2023.
“I think we're so time constrained, you know. I talked to my friends and my family who have kids, and they're just running all over the place, and so that it takes some time to go focus on themselves and to get themselves better, might be an issue as well,” said Davidson.
And a concerning factor in the report is that many Americans don’t want to seek help.
40 percent say therapy doesn’t work, while 39 percent say they just don’t have time. And 37 percent claim they lack insurance coverage. But Davidson said there can be less expensive ways to get help.
“There are providers here in the Tampa Bay area that work on a sliding scale based on your income. So we can work with people who are struggling and might not make, you know, really, really good money that they can get some affordable care at a lower cost,” said Davidson.
Davidson said his non-profit organization is there to help those in need.
“Central Florida Behavioral Health Network. We're the funder for the uninsured. So, if you don't even have insurance, you can get care at a provider here in the Tampa Bay area who are funding for very reduced cost,” said Davidson.
You can learn more about Central Florida Behavioral Health Networkhere.
