by Lee Spindle

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Anxiety and depression rates have skyrocketed at an increased rate of 6.3% since the United States saw its first cases of COVID-19 in early 2020. Many factors could have contributed to these feelings, such as a national increase of mortality due to COVID-19, state-mandated stay-at-home orders with social restriction and increased isolation, and pandemic-related job loss. According to a Mental Health America survey, from April to September 2020, among people who screened with moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety or depression, 70% reported that one of the top three things contributing to their mental health concerns was loneliness or isolation. 

Mental health researchers are already anticipating that there will be “collective trauma” associated with the COVID‐19 pandemic. In the United States alone, the average rate of depression or anxiety since the start of COVID-19 is 32.12%.

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Many of the top states that experienced increased rates of mental illness this past year were also states with high unemployment numbers and therefore a lack of health care coverage. While some state's rate of anxiety and depression was considered high on average during 2020, other states experienced higher increases in mental health over the course of April to December.

QuoteWizard evaluated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mental health data on each state’s frequency of anxiety or depression from April to December 2020. Here are the top ten states experiencing the most anxiety during the pandemic...

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At number one is Louisiana, with an average anxiety rate of  36.9% — a 24.3% increase since April 2020.

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At number two is Nevada, with an average anxiety rate of  36.1% — a 39.8% increase since April 2020.

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At number three is Oregon, with an average anxiety rate of  35.1% — a 34.3% increase since April 2020.

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At number four is Mississippi, with an average anxiety rate of 35.0% — a 38.0% increase since April 2020.

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At number five is New Mexico, with an average anxiety rate of 34.5% — a 39.9% increase since April 2020.

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At number six is Texas, with an average anxiety rate of 34.2% — a 28.3% increase since April 2020.

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At number seven is California, with an average anxiety rate of 34.2% — a 17.6% increase since April 2020.

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At number eight is Florida, with an average anxiety rate of 33.8% — a 12.7% increase since April 2020.

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At number nine is Arkansas, with an average anxiety rate of 33.7% — a 9.5% increase since April 2020.

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At number ten is Oklahoma, with an average anxiety rate of 33.6%— a 39.6% increase since April 2020.

To see Quote Wizard's full list of all fifty states, click HERE.