To compare mental health diagnoses and treatment patterns between health care workers and non–health care workers during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the significance of the study as one of the first national analyses.
Key Findings:
23% of health care workers reported anxiety compared to 19% of non–health care workers.
22% of health care workers reported depression compared to 19% of non–health care workers.
87% of health care workers with anxiety or depression reported receiving neither medication nor counseling.
Health care workers had higher odds of self-reported anxiety and depression compared to non–health care workers after adjustments.
Untreated anxiety increased among non–health care workers from 2021 to 2024, while it remained stable among health care workers.
Subgroup analysis showed that health diagnosing and treating practitioners had similar odds of anxiety and depression compared to other health care workers.
Interpretation:
The findings indicate a significant mental health burden among health care workers, with high rates of untreated anxiety and depression, suggesting barriers to accessing care.
Limitations:
Study relied on self-reported diagnoses rather than symptom screening.
Cross-sectional design limits causal inferences.
Potential nonresponse bias with NHIS response rates of 47% to 51%.
Limited generalizability outside the US or the specified study period.
Potential for underdiagnosis and cultural differences in symptom expression affecting reported prevalence.
Conclusion:
Structural interventions and efforts to reduce stigma are needed to improve mental health treatment access for health care workers, in light of the significant mental health burden identified.
Longitudinal cohort data linked bullying and persistently unsupportive state gender-identity policies with worsening psychotic-like experiences among gender-diverse youths.
Genetically predicted urinary metabolite levels were associated with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and anorexia nervosa in a Mendelian randomization analysis.
