Tools used: Datylon

Source: GWI USA (Full disclosure, I work for GWI)

Methodology/other bits: GWI USA started in Q2 2020, so annoyingly we don't have a benchmark for pre-pandemic rates of mental health. But the trend is pretty clear - and has had another recent spike, likely off the back of inflation and cost-of-living worries.

Note this is self-reported data - this is based on respondents who declare whether or not they experience these conditions. In other words, the data in the chart is from the question "do you experience these currently", not "do you currently see a doctor about these".

I am not sure you know what a spike is... I'd call it a gentle slope.

Without showing the pre-pandemic data, not sure you can even say that!

How was it in 2018 or 2019, I see no spike here

> so annoyingly we don't have a benchmark for pre-pandemic rates of mental health

If you don't have data supporting your story, just don't tell your story - especially not in the headline.

It is a serious topic, and I bet better data, covering a much longer timescale, exist. Your data does not even cover two years.

It’s actually hard to believe that the other 67% do not experience anxiety in life

This graph gives me anxiety. It’s like I’m missing out

Given the x-axis is very condensed I think this can reasonably be called a strike a relative 25% increase (ie. the number of people with anxiety or depression increasing by 25% of its original value) in two and a half years is quite considerable.

I agree it’s a bad way to present the data and hard to really tell the significance of the strike without data from the years before.

My mental health is higher than the Venezuelan inflation

It’s very hard to say anything about this data without more context. A 25% relative increase in anxiety and depression in less than three years certainly seems like a lot (even if the data is presented in a way that makes it seem otherwise), but without the context of how variable the statistic was in the years prior, it’s hard to say for sure.

Can you back up the same graphic 2 years prior? My guess is mental illness has been on the rise for AWHILE! I know the numbers back that up for pediatric and young adults so COVID was not the explanation in those groups.

Agree with others that is not a spike either.

Its tough to tell if there was an increase since pre covid data is not included, this would benefit from adding 2019 data or even comparing it against other events

I've been working as a psychiatrist since prior to the pandemic. Certainly, everyone simultaneously dealing with an unflinching stressor led to a huge increase in adjustment disorders, though I will say that from a mood/anxiety standpoint, people proved more resilient than I would've assumed -- it's a testament to the human ability to adjust to things.

It would be interesting to see self reports like these plotted alongside diagnosis rates of disorders like Major Depressive or Generalized Anxiety disorders. The pandemic also happened to crop up during a societal shift in mindfulness and public identification of mental health issues, which even several years prior would have been more of a taboo to disclose. The truth is that nearly 100% of people experience at least transient, clinically significant periods of sadness or worry in their lives, and there's no way to know which proportion of any of these respondents would meet threshold for any kind of diagnosis.

In spite of the upward trend of the chart, I think this reflects a positive trend overall. Stressed or sad people who answered yes to this survey are either seeking help or more likely to do so than the people in this survey who feel the same way inside but said no when asked. Over the course of my brief career so far I've already seen a shift in people's engagement in care. I hope it continues

I know there has been a spike but your data set doesn’t do a great job or representing it. It is hard to say rates have spiked when you don’t show the data before Q2 2020. A 7 point raise in 2 years doesn’t seem like a spike.

Just come to Greece. Sunny and healthy food everywhere 😎.

Spike doesn’t seem like the right word.

And of course this is awful, but it would’ve expected it to be higher given the circumstances.

Visiting Greece was one of my greatest joys! It’s an incredibly beautiful place.

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Depends if its asking about anxiety the emotion or the disorder. These results seem to high for generalised anxiety disorder and too low for just the emotion. My guess is a bunch of Americans were asked this exact question and just interpreted it differently

I'm honestly surprised it's this low. How is there is still a majority of people without anxiety or depression??

Η ζωή εκεί πέρα σας αγχώνει σε άλλους τρόπους.

While there’s no formal definition of “epidemic”, 30% feels a little dramatic

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I'm in this picture and I don't like it.

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You can't say there's a spike if you don't have pre-pandemic data shown. Maybe the #'s were higher in 2018 for some reason. We'll never know.

Should be taken extremely seriously.

The graph linked below says it was 10.8% among American adults in 2019: https://www.statista.com/chart/21878/impact-of-coronavirus-pandemic-on-mental-health/

I know the data itself is important, but this presentation is as basic as it gets.

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