Pandemic is Harming Mental Health of Half of Americans

Forty-five percent of all U.S. residents feel that the coronavirus situation is harming their mental health, according to a survey published yesterday by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

"It's a huge number," psychologist Kathy HoganBruen tells The Washington Post. She also said that the figure is "not surprising given all the other huge numbers surrounding the pandemic in terms of joblessness, and social distancing, which can equal social isolation."

And actually, the National Institute of Mental Health director Joshua Gordon says that "feeling anxious is part of a normal response to what's going on."

To get over this feeling, HoganBruen recommends cutting down on "negative behaviors like excessive drinking." But that isn't likely to happen, since Jezebel reports that alcohol sales are "way up" since the start of the pandemic.

I get it. I am one of the blessed ones that hasn't lost their job. I can still pay my bills, I still have money coming in and I don't have a family to support. It's just me and my cats. I would feel very differently if I had a business that was in jeopardy, or I had kids depending on me, or I wasn't sure how to pay my mortgage next month. That's the reality for a lot of people. As an empath, I feel for them. I cannot imagine being in their shoes.