Mental Health Inequities in the Context of COVID-19

Major depressive disorder is a leading cause of disability worldwide, and a major risk factor for suicide. It is also an illness that is remarkably sensitive to the social determinants of healthworsening depressive symptoms have been associated with adverse childhood experiences, racism and discrimination, unemployment, food insecurity, and a host of other social and environmental factors. In their study examining the prevalence of depressive symptoms before and during the pandemic, Ettman et al 2 have effectively documented an important mental health implication of the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors found higher prevalence rates of depression across all severity levels during COVID-19 compared with rates of depression before the pandemic in the US. Not surprisingly, for certain populations (eg, people with lower incomes and people with greater levels of stress associated with the pandemic), depressive symptoms were even more pronounced.