We analyze and present findings using the most recent data available at the time of this publication – including the Household Pulse Survey and the CDC WONDER database. We highlight populations that were more likely to experience worse mental health and substance use outcomes during the pandemic and discuss some innovations in the delivery of services. This brief explores mental health and substance use during, and prior to, the COVID-19 pandemic. As the end of the declaration of the public health emergency nears – on – many people continue to grapple with worsened mental health and well-being and face barriers to care. These negative mental health and substance use outcomes have disproportionately affected some populations, particularly communities of color and youth. Additionally, drug overdose deaths have sharply increased – largely due to fentanyl – and after a brief period of decline, suicide deaths are once again on the rise. Over the course of the pandemic, many adults reported symptoms consistent with anxiety and depression, with approximately four in ten adults reporting these symptoms by early 2021, before declining to approximately three in ten adults as the pandemic continued (Figure 1). The pandemic has affected the public’s mental health and well-being in a variety of ways, including through isolation and loneliness, job loss and financial instability, and illness and grief. adults believing that the country is facing a mental health crisis, according to a recent KFF/CNN survey. Note: This brief was updated on Mato incorporate the latest available data.Ĭoncerns about mental health and substance use remain elevated three years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 90% of U.S.

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