Not-so-good news for New Yorkers and their mental wellness: one in five adults in the city suffers from depression as well as suicidal thoughts and other psychological issues every year.
A new report by the Department of Health of the city was released on Thursday, Nov. 12, ahead of the new mental health initiative of Mayor Bill de Blaiso called NYC Thrive, which targets preventing and treating psychological conditions among the 8.4 million-strong population.
Dr. Gary Belkin, health department deputy commissioner, said there is a set of public health issues plaguing many people in the city.
"We know what we're going to be doing, and over the coming weeks you're going to be hearing about it," he said.
In NYC, some 8 percent of adults had depression symptoms, and the same percentage of high schoolers said they had attempted suicide in the past. 73,000 public high school students reported a feeling of sadness or helplessness every month as well.
College students were part of statistics as well, as a survey of 1,000 students of the City University of New York discovered that 26 percent had significant anxiety while 19 percent reported depression symptoms. Those who went for treatment from the college or health center were found to be merely 10 percent.
Drug and alcohol abuse were also taking their toll, with fatalities from accidental drug overdose outnumbering both homicide and traffic death. According to the report, depression costs the city $2.4 billion in productivity losses in every, while alcohol misuse accounts for about $6 billion.
Race and economic status played a role as well: Latina teenagers struggled the most with suicidal thoughts, and African-Americans were most likely to suffer from long-term mental health symptoms because they were less likely to get treatment than whites.
While 12 percent of moms around the city reported depression symptoms after giving birth, the number climbed to 20 percent for lower-income moms.
Although few details have been disclosed, the mayor’s wife, Chirlane McCray, said back in August that the mayor’s office would allot $386 million for mental health in the next three years.
One of NYC Thrive’s goals is to put in place a more comprehensive system for tracking mental health in both kids and adults, according to city officials.
Likely a priority of the plan is mental health in the youth. Childhood trauma can sometimes lead to mental problems later in life, with about three-fourths of disorders emerging by age 24.
“Schools are an obvious and important place to reach kids,” Dr. Belkin said, urging the involvement of different city departments – including for education – in coming up with a comprehensive policy.
Photo : Victor Casale | Flickr
