
People with anxiety and depression are more likely to step up their drinking during the COVID-19 pandemic than those without these mental health issues, an online survey revealed. Alcohol use grew the most among young people, but older adults with anxiety and depression were about twice as likely to report increased drinking as older adults without those struggles, New York University researchers said. “We expected that younger people and those with mental health issues would report drinking as a coping mechanism, but this is the first time we’re learning that mental health is associated with differences in alcohol use by age,” study author Yesim Tozan said in a university news release. She is an assistant professor of global health at NYU’s School of Global Public Health. Lead author Ariadna Capasso, a doctoral student, said the increase in drinking, especially among people with mental health issues, is consistent with concerns that the pandemic may be triggering an epidemic of alcohol use. Drinking to cope with stress and traumatic events is not unusual. After the 2001 World Trade Center attack, 25% of New Yorkers increased their alcohol use. Likewise, COVID-19 has caused lots of stress, including isolation, disruption of routines, economic hardship, illness, fear of contagion. For the study, the researchers conducted an online survey of people across the United States in March and April. Of the… read on > read on >