Effect of COVID-19 on mental health resources and symptom prevalence

Crisis Text Line provides a free, 24/7 text-based mental health support and crisis intervention composed of trained volunteers. In 2020, 1.4 million interactions between the counselors and texters were exchanged, supporting 843,982 texters. This totaled to more than 48 million messages (Crisis Text Line, 2020). Data was collected by Crisis Text Line through 2019 and 2020 focusing on COVID-19 pandemic\u27s most severe stages. Additional data was obtained through a local partner, University of Dayton\u27s Counseling Center. In the fall of 2021, 2,890 UD students were seen in a clinical appointment setting; due to the overwhelming need for broader access, the Counseling Center added brief consultations, called “Let’s Talk Sessions”, allowing 240 more students to be seen in their time of need. Overall, 28.5% of UD students seen by the Counseling Center reported symptoms of depression and 52.8% reported excessive anxiety (University of Dayton Counseling Center, 2021). These results mirror those of Crisis Text Line that reported depression and anxiety as the top issues texters struggle with. This trend is also seen in the interactions of a crisis counselor. In conversations of one Crisis Text Line counselor (Paige Kompa) dating from April 2020 to present, 26.2% of texters reported experiencing anxiety and 35.0% dealt with depression (2022). The experiences of Americans and UD students alike show the vast impact of COVID-19 on mental health and demonstrates the need for mental health resources. This poster aims to discuss the effects of the pandemic on mental health and highlight what has been done to address the issue.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/stander_posters/3568/thumbnail.jp