The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use
This issue brief explores mental health and substance use in light of the spread of coronavirus. It discusses the implications of social distancing practices and the economic recession on mental health, as well as challenges to accessing mental health or substance use services. It draws on data on mental health prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and, where possible, include recent KFF Tracking Poll data and data from the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, a new survey created to capture data on health and economic impacts of the pandemic.