Reliance on Substances, Vices as Coping Mechanisms Climbs During Pandemic

More than 80% of Americans have reported showing signs of depression during the COVID-19 pandemic, more than a quarter have either contemplated or engaged in serious self-harm, and many are using illicit substances and vices to cope with pandemic-induced stress, according to research published this week.

The study was conducted by the research data and analytics group YouGov and commissioned by Field Trip Health, the Toronto-based psychedelic therapy and drug development firm. The survey fielded 2,134 responses online April 16-20. Among the findings:

• 1 in 5 adults have used alcohol to cope, and 37% of users reported increased consumption since the start of the pandemic.
• 17% of men said they used pornography to cope, and of those, 34% said their consumption of adult content increased.
• Overeating is on the rise, particularly among women: 25% of respondents overall said they overeat to cope, including 30% of women, and there has been a 56% increase in overating as a coping mechanism. A quarter of respondents reported significant weight gain.
• 20% of respondents said they have turned to prescription medications; 24% of White participants reported using prescription medications vs. just 11% of Black respondents. Meanwhile, 23% of respondents overall increased their prescription medication use, and loss of family members and/or friends were linked to increased prescription medication use.
• 12% of Americans 25-34 reported opioid use as a coping mechanism, and 20% of opioid users between the ages of 25-49 said their consumption increased.
• More than a quarter (27%) of those who have ever gambled as a coping mechanism reported an increase during the pandemic.

“Our initial reaction to the survey results, as I'm sure for many others, was bleak,” Field Trip co-founder and executive chairman Ronan Levy said in an email to AP. “So many people are struggling mentally and emotionally from the pandemic, and using many destructive coping mechanisms.

“But after sitting with the information for a while, we actually found much to be hopeful about. More and more people are open to asking for professional help, and even though we are in the early stages of the psychedelic renaissance in psychiatry, nearly half of Americans are open to psychedelic therapies. With the evidence around the safety and profound efficacy of psychedelic therapies growing every day, it seems that we will soon be more equipped than ever to respond to this mental health crisis.”

Asked whether rising vaccination rates and COVID-related restrictions being eased could help reverse the trends observed in the study, Levy tells AP he expects a “boom, bust and echo” happening: An initial wave of elation at being able to return to “normal life,” followed by things getting significantly worse as individuals begin to take stock of the past year and realize challenges that existed pre-COVID haven’t gone away. After that crash, however, Levy expects consistent and sustained improvement in Americans’ emotional and mental health. He adds that he sees the use of psychedelic therapy playing a vital role.

“This echo will be driven by people starting to be much more proactive about their mental and emotional health, with psychedelic therapies being the foundation for this new proactive approach to health and well-being,” he says.