The coronavirus pandemic has been with us for 6 months now. Those have been a long and stressful 6 months. With 6.8 million cases in the United States and nearly 200,000 deaths, COVID-19 continues to take a toll on the American psyche. In a survey produced by the Centers for Disease Control; symptoms of anxiety and depression were up sharply across the board between March, and June.
One of the most sobering statistics was that almost 11 percent of respondents said they had "seriously considered" suicide in the past 30 days. These certainly are stressful times for everyone, but the psychological toll of the coronavirus pandemic appears to be affecting adolescents, even more than people in older age groups. In the 18 to 24 age range, the number of respondents who "seriously considered" suicide was 1 in 4 — more than twice as high as the rest of the survey pool.
Today we'll look at the specific impacts the coronavirus pandemic is having on the young people in our lives, what warning signs we can watch for, and perhaps learn what we can do to help.
Psychologist Lisa Damour, who works closely with adolescents, joins us for the program. Ideastream health reporter Anna is in the conversation as well.
Later in the hour, as we stick with the health theme we talk about how the pandemic has affected men's health. A new survey from The Cleveland Clinic provides us with some startling numbers about men who are putting off physical and mental health check-ups. Men, across the spectrum, are proving to be willfully resistant to getting medical help, even when sick, or in pain.
The Cleveland Clinic's "MEN-tion It" survey is a national questionnaire that's been around for several years now, surveying how men look at health care. This year, the survey was a bit different, as it looked at how the coronavirus pandemic has been impacting them, particulary how often they seek medical help.
Dr. Petar Bajic, a urologist with The Cleveland Clinic discusses the results of the survey, and health reporter Anna Huntsman stays with us.
Finally, another installment of ideastream arts' "Applause Performances". This month featuring Christine Fader, Jake Fader, and Joe Tomino.
- Lisa Damour, PhD, Psychologist, Author, New York Times and CBS News contributor
- Anna Huntsman, Health Reporter, ideastream
- Petar Bajic, PhD, Urologist, The Cleveland Clinic
- Christine Fader, Jake Fader, Joe Tomino, musicians
