5 tips for employers to help workers cope with pandemic PTSD

Research from the Mental Health Index suggests mental health is improving among workers as a bit of normalcy returns to the world. However, the report also reveals an emerging trend: After 18 months of pandemic, civil unrest, and isolation, post-traumatic stress disorder is on the rise among U.S. workers.

“The pandemic itself is a trauma for most of us and we are now dealing with the downstream consequences of that trauma,” says Louis Gagnon, CEO of Total Brain, a brain performance platform whose data informed the Index. “That will translate into more stress, less capacity to focus, less resilience, and generally speaking, life is just much harder to live.”

The most notable improvements in mental health were among women in the 20-39 age group. In June 2021, this group reported a 44% decrease in anxiety from May to June. Gagnon says the change was probably due to the summer’s reduction in childcare needs and virtual learning.

The uptick for young women helped improve the overall number of U.S. workers dealing with anxiety by 19%.

PTSD is widespread and on the rise