A recent CVS Health® (NYSE: CVS)/Morning Consult survey found that a majority of adults have significant concerns about their mental health and rates across the country continue to rise.
- Two-thirds (65%) of adults have experienced concerns about their own mental health or the mental health of their friends and family, which is up six percentage points from 2022 and 15 percentage points from 2020.
- About eight in 10 adults (77%) are concerned about mental health in the country, viewing it as a top concern in line with issues such as the economy (81%).
- Seventy percent of parents are concerned about their children’s mental health, which is higher than their concerns about their children’s physical health (66%).
- Respondents are likely to turn to both mental well-being apps (48%) and therapists (55%) for care.
“Mental health became a top concern in 2020 and it has only risen since,” said Taft Parsons III, M.D., Vice President and Chief Psychiatric Officer, CVS Health. “Uncertainty around the future, current events and social media continue to drive anxiety among adults. Our priority, across CVS Health, remains improving access to quality virtual and in-person mental health care and ensuring we have resources in place to address the unique needs of individuals.”
Americans are concerned about social media’s implications on their mental health
The survey also found that nearly four in 10 adults (37%) believe social media has hurt society at-large.
- As a result, a third of adults have started to turn off notifications for social media apps and are attempting to spend less time on social media.
- About half of parents feel that social media is impacting their children’s perceptions of the world and their children’s development.
- On the other hand, more than one in three adults (36%) report that social media has taught them about mental health issues.
“Our increasing use of technology has helped increase access to mental health care – CVS Health has had over 43 million mental health virtual visits since 2020 – and created a way for people to talk openly about the topic, reducing stigma,” added Parsons III. “But as we navigate the impacts social media has on mental health, it has become increasingly important that we highlight its limitations and set guardrails for ourselves and our children.”
