COVID-19 Is Associated With an Increase in Visits for Anxiety but Not Depression.

ABSTRACT

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has increased concerns about mental health. We conducted a time-series analysis to determine whether the percentage of primary care visits for anxiety and depression changed after COVID-19. Methodology We assessed the adjusted weekly change in the percentage of primary care visits for anxiety and depression between August 2019 and October 2020 at a large integrated health system. To account for changes in overall visit behavior during the pandemic, we created three periods pre-period (August 1, 2019 to March 8, 2020), initial period (March 9, 2020 to June 31, 2020), and return period (July 1, 2020 to October 31, 2020). We used hierarchical linear regression models (clustered by month) to identify the association between the time period and the adjusted mean weekly percentage of visits for depression or anxiety. We conducted the analysis in 2020 and 2021. Results There were 1,691,071 encounters among 605,105 unique adults. The median age was 55 years (interquartile range = 39-68), 57% were female, 78% were white, and 59% had private insurance. Most visits were office-based (versus virtual), of which 99% were in the pre-COVID-19 period and 75% in the return period. There was a significant increase in the percentage of visits associated with anxiety after July compared to before COVID-19 (10.4% versus 9.2%; p = 0.006), and there was no difference in the percentage of visits for depression (p > 0.05). Conclusions Outreach to individuals with depression who have not sought care may be necessary.