WOONSOCKET – A recent survey conducted by CVS Health Corp. and Morning Consult found that most adults remain concerned about their mental health, and that rate continues to rise.
The survey found that 65% of adults have expressed concern about their own or a friend or family member’s mental health, an increase of 6 percentage points from 2022 and 15 percentage points from 2020. did.
Additionally, 77% of adults are concerned about their mental health and consider it their top concern, along with other issues such as the economy.
“Mental health became a top concern in 2020 and has only grown since then,” said Dr. Taft Parsons III, vice president and chief psychiatric officer at CVS Health. “Uncertainty about the future, current events, and social media continues to cause anxiety among adults. Across CVS Health, our priorities are to ensure access to quality virtual and in-person mental health care. and ensuring that resources are available to address the unique needs of individuals.”
According to the survey, 70% of parents are concerned about their child’s mental health, and 66% express concern about their child’s physical health. Also, 48% of respondents said they use a mental wellbeing app and 55% said they use a therapist for care.
Research shows that 37% of adults believe social media has a negative impact on society as a whole, and nearly one-third of adults have started turning off notifications on social media apps and have reduced the amount of time they spend on social media. It became clear that he was trying to do so. About half of parents reported that social media influenced their children’s worldview and development. But on the other hand, 36% of adults report that social media has taught them about mental health issues.
“The increased use of technology has increased access to mental health care. CVS Health has conducted more than 43 million virtual mental health visits since 2020. We now have a way to talk openly about it and reduce stigma,” Parsons said. “But as we move beyond the impact of social media on mental health, it is increasingly important to highlight its limits and set guardrails for ourselves and our children.”
CVS Health acknowledged that it has several mental health resources and guides on its website, including a resource center focused on the mental health needs of various groups.
In some states, consumers can also access in-person and virtual mental health services through MinuteClinics, with approximately 78% of patients reporting a reduction in symptoms of depression. MinuteClinics also offers in-person and virtual depression testing at all of our locations.
To increase screening for depression in underserved communities, CVS Health recently launched a program called Be Seen Be Heard. CVS Project Health screens for depression at all events.
One of the other initiatives CVS Health offers is Reasons for Living. This helps us take a proactive approach to our members’ mental health, improve patient access, and reduce costs.
In April, the CVS Health Foundation awarded grants to the Greater Flint Health Coalition, Kentucky Youth Advocates, and the Reinvent South Stockton Coalition as part of its Youth Mental Health Center Program. Additionally, Aetna Inc.’s efforts to reduce member suicides resulted in a 16% decrease in suicide attempts among Aetna’s adult commercial members compared to 2019.
CVS Health also has a Beauty Mark initiative that promotes a healthy self-image by not significantly altering the beauty images created for stores, marketing materials, websites, apps and social media.
This survey was conducted by Morning Consult between March 19th and 21st among 2,202 adults nationwide. The margin of error for the entire sample is plus or minus 2 percentage points. Interviews were conducted online and data were weighted to estimate a target sample of adults based on age, gender, education, race, and region.
Katie Castellani is a staff writer at PBN. Please contact Castellani@PBN.com.
