Analysis of Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Pre- and Post-COVID-19

This article investigates: What groups were most affected by COVID-19? How did mental health diagnosis and substance use disorder patterns change? Most importantly, what can these data show us about what was done immediately after COVID-19 to alleviate mental health and substance use diagnoses and how might we better address future public health challenges? This analysis utilized data from multiple national surveys to examine trends in mental health and substance use and the availability of treatment facilities. The analysis focused on both before and after the COVID-19 pandemic specifically in 2018 and 2022. The primary data sources were the General Social Survey (GSS), the Mental Health Client-Level Data (MH-CLD) data set, and the National Substance Use and Mental Health Services Survey (N-SUMHSS). This analysis reveals significant shifts in both mental health and substance use trends following the COVID-19 pandemic.