We have all experienced the COVID-19 pandemic; it hasn’t been so fun. COVID-19 has affected many lives in different ways, but what stood out to me the most has been the amount of people who have experienced depression throughout this pandemic. More teens and adults have experienced depression during this time, normality has been stripped of us, people have lost their jobs, sports, and even school. People don’t realize how serious depression is and I recognize that going through this pandemic has opened people’s eyes to it. Parents are more aware of teen depression or even depression for anyone as they might have experienced it themselves during COVID-19. 

Quarantine has been one of the most difficult things to adjust to when it comes to COVID, that is where depression starts. You are being told to stay home, to not go anywhere and to not see anyone; that’s a huge adjustment.  Speaking from experience, I know how difficult it is to be stuck at home. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family but being stuck in the house for months with the same people puts a strain on our relationships. You need space from one another and quarantine holds that back. My family fought a lot during quarantine, especially my siblings and I. Not being able to see friends or other loved ones is tough. Social distancing can make people feel isolated and lonely which can increase stress and anxiety. 

Sadly, symptoms of anxiety and depression have increased considerably in the U.S during April-June of 2020, as compared to 2019 at the same time.  Unemployment among all categories of workers increased dramatically in the COVID-19 pandemic, ranks of unemployed Americans increased more than 14 million, from  6.2 million in February to 20.5 million in May 2020. Unemployment is a big factor for depression in adults during COVID.  Everyone is struggling to keep balance in their lives and to return to some sort of normalcy. 

You can say that 2020 has been quite a year.