Just when you think it can’t get any worse, it does.
Americans have essentially been on lockdown since at least March, when government officials across the country ordered statewide shutdowns. But even nine months later, little is back to normal, as restaurants and bars operate (if they can) on limited occupancy, airlines are running skeleton schedules and workers have gone mostly virtual.
Now Gallup, a top U.S. pollster, says the whole mess is severely affecting the mental health of Americans.
“Americans’ latest assessment of their mental health is worse than it has been at any point in the last two decades. Seventy-six percent of U.S. adults rate their mental health positively, representing a nine-point decline from 2019,” Gallup reported on Monday.