Etnamed federal medical concierge company has recorded a surge in the demand for mental health services.
During the first ten days of April, the number of requests from patients has increased by 36% as more than 50K people signed up for remote consultations with therapists.
The majority of requests (40%) were related to COVID-19. Etnamed patients reported anxiety, panic and sleeping problems. People were afraid to get infected. Many were concerned with the wellbeing of their loved ones.
The second most common reason why patients needed counseling was losing jobs, income and purchasing ability. Some 20% of the medical concierge service patients were concerned with these issues.
Some 16% of therapy patients noticed signs of depression, which is the third most common complaint. The number of patients reporting depression increased by 7% year-on-year (9% patients in 2019).
Around 12% of the company customers needed help with family relationships.
“Depression and family conflicts can be explained by the fact that people have to stay inside most of the time and constantly communicate with each other. They can’t get a distraction from work or their usual entertainment any more. Tension in relationships is growing and it is becoming harder to control one’s emotions,” comments Etnamed Deputy CEO Yevgeny Kan.
The fifth most common complaint from patients was work-related conflicts and burnout (3%). This figure is almost twice as low as last year (8%).
According to Etnamed experts, the majority of people seeking mental health services are aged between 25 and 39 and married. They account for over 40% inquiries for therapy. Another 30% are people aged 40 to 55, followed by people over 55 (18%) and people below 25 (12%).
The company’s analysts noted the increase in the number of requests from men (48% of the total number). Before the coronavirus pandemic, men accounted for 35% to 40% of all therapy clients.