Among respondents to the Long Island Health Collaborative’s annual survey, depression and suicide both rank as the “greatest ongoing health concerns”, helping people continue to grapple with the emotional toll of the pandemic. This reflects a growing need for mental health services, experts say.
The survey found that 52.5% of respondents in Suffolk County said “mental health depression/suicide” was at the top of their list of health concerns “in the community where you live.” That category garnered a lower percentage (36.7%) among respondents in Nassau, but still ranked highest among the other health concerns listed.
When asked, “What is your biggest health concern?” 39% of respondents in Suffolk cited mental health depression/suicide, and 33.3% of respondents in Nassau You mentioned the “obesity/weight loss problem”. Personal mental health concerns were not among the top five respondents in Nassau.
This year’s survey included 529 respondents, of whom 353 were from Suffolk and 125 from Nassau. 51 respondents did not list their county.
What you need to know
- A study found depression and suicide ranked as the “greatest ongoing health concern” among Long Islanders surveyed.
- Survey found 52.5% in Suffolk Respondents said “mental health depression/suicide” topped the list of health concerns “in the community where you live.”
- That category won a low percentage Among respondents in Nassau — 36.7% — but still ranked highest among other health concerns listed.
mental health top list
Mental health concerns have jumped to the top overall in the 2022 survey, replacing cancer, which had topped the list for the past two years, said executive director of the Coalition, a partnership between Long Island hospitals and county health departments. said Janine Logan. Physicians, health care providers, community-based social services agencies, local governments, etc.
According to the website, the collaboration will focus on improving the health of Long Islanders “with a focus on reducing chronic disease.”
“Cancer remains a concern,” Logan said, but “mental health rose to the top this year”. Chronic illness continues to be a concern for survey respondents.
Trends over the decade the survey was conducted show that chronic diseases have ranked in the top five for many years, as do mental health and substance abuse issues. “Obesity and weight loss have been among the top five concerns over the last five years of the survey,” she added.
The survey was small, reflecting limitations that affect spontaneous collaboration. Logan said he uses a “convenience sampling method,” in which electronic and paper versions of the survey are distributed to customers by members of the cooperative. The survey had an 8.8 percent margin of error for him in responding to Nassau and a 5.2 percent margin of error for him in responding to Suffolk, Logan said. She noted that over the past few years, the survey has had a large number of respondents from Nassau.
“We are everywhere limited [organizations] “We are a voluntary, unfunded initiative,” Logan said, noting that there is no funding to conduct a randomized study.
heightened awareness
Nonetheless, mental health concerns were given top priority in the survey, according to some experts, as the demand for mental health needs and related services has increased during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. when there is an increasing awareness of
Jeffrey McQueen, executive director of the Nassau County Mental Health Association, said the survey reveals what his organization has seen.
“People have high rates of depression and live with a lot of suicidal thoughts,” often contemplating suicide. I have,” he said.
“I would say the demand for the service has probably increased by about 60%,” McQueen continued. “That influx started since COVID. I think COVID is definitely a factor. Not just COVID, but the timeframes people have access to care. Demand is high, but access is low. Number needed. There are no psychiatrists, therapists or treatment centers.”
Adam Gonzalez, a licensed clinical psychologist and deputy director of behavioral health at Stony Brook Medicine, said survey responses were “slightly lower, but other data suggest that depression and mental health conditions are more widespread.” It shows that it is increasing to . Pandemic. And it can be seen nationwide. ”
Gonzalez, who is also the founding director of the Stony Brook University Mind-Body Clinical Research Center at the Renaissance School of Medicine, said, “The impact of the social isolation and disruption of daily life that everyone has experienced with COVID-19 has impacted our personal and professional lives. life is the factor.
“COVID was a lingering traumatic experience and people were dying,” Gonzalez said. Because he’s out of “survival mode,” “I think people are spending more time now processing what the experience was like.” For some, it means a high degree of stress, he said.
Gonzalez said the pandemic “shed a light on mental health…I think we’ve started to experience greater respect for how people view mental health and for mental health and mental health treatment.”
