Brian C. Castrucci, DrPH, MA, is the president and chief executive officer of the de Beaumont Foundation, a leading voice in health philanthropy and public health.
In a country where political divisions often seem insurmountable and the discourse grows increasingly polarized, it’s easy to feel as though we are drifting apart, with both sides entrenched in their own ideologies. However, adelivers a powerful reminder that our mental health struggles unite us more than our political differences divide us. Republican , Democrat or independent—regardless of how you vote, you are now just as likely as anyone else to screen positive for depression.
Depression is a pervasive issue that affects Americans across the political spectrum with startling uniformity, according to the COVID-19 and Life Stressors Impact on Mental Health and Well-being study released on Sept. 4 by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Boston University and the de Beaumont Foundation . This presents an opportunity to break through divisive rhetoric and focus on real, effective solutions. Depression isn’t red or blue — it’s purple.
In the study, nearly one in four U.S. adults screened positive for depression — 25.2% among Democrats, 23% among Independents and 20.5% among Republicans. Statistically, there is no meaningful difference between these numbers. But while depressive symptoms may be equally distributed by political affiliations, access to mental health care is not. Among Republicans who screened positive for depression, 75.
Understanding why this disparity exists is complex. It may be that some respondents were less likely to seek out mental health treatment because of the stigma against it. Other people may want care but can't get it because there are too few providers in their communities, or the cost is too high. There are many deeply embedded structural and historical reasons why it's hard to access medical and behavioral health care across the United States.
Republican Mental Health Depression Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health Boston University De Beaumont Foundation Research Study Health Care
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