More than half of people say their mental health is struggling according to new study

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Many of us have faced a lot of struggles throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and that’s evident in a new study on mental health performed by Drug Genius.

According to their study of over 1,000 people, more than half said their mental health started to decline during the pandemic.

Another alarming fact, 55% of people say that they had to go on prescription medication during that time period, the number one cause for that being anxiety-related issues.

“These last two years, it’s been a lot,” said Megan Sanctorum with Digital Third Coast. “There’s been a lot of change, a lot of uncertainty, and all of that. It’s hard, it’s hard to handle.”

Experts say, these numbers are higher than ever.

One local mom, Cara Vitadamo, says she’s noticed the social effects that the pandemic has had on her kids.

“He has a lot of anxiety, and he’s voiced to me before, I just constantly worry something bad is going to happen,” Vitadamo says.

Vitadamo is a mother of two, and after seeing the number of people who have been struggling the last two years, including her own children, she decided to speak out.

“Because even when we’re feeling okay, it’s always good for self-care, and to have a check in,” she says. “It’s good to always good to check in with our family members and close friends.”

Not only is she advocating for more available resources for mental health, she also wants parents to teach their kids that life isn’t always going to be easy, and how to cope with that.

“Life isn’t going to always be a happy time,” she says. “Bad stuff is going to happen. We just need to, you know, teach our children how to cope with it and be resilient.”

For more resources on mental health, click here.

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