While we are experiencing a global health crisis as COVID-19 rips through communities across the globe, we are also experiencing another pandemic — one which is far less visible. COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China all the way back in December 2019, with the United States declaring a public health emergency in January and the World Health Organization declaring it a pandemic on March 11, 2020. However, at least here on Binghamton University’s campus, we were quite isolated from this virus that was soon going to not only shut down New York but change the fabric of society.

While the virus emerged in December, it wasn’t until March that BU even considered sending students home. In addition, because BU’s spring break falls on a different week than other colleges, a lot of other students were already home when the virus began to get more serious, while BU students were still living life as if nothing were happening.

I remember the sense of uncertainty and fear in the air as everyone was frantically packing up their belongings and parents were driving up to take their students home. On the highway driving back to Long Island, I remember the signs reading “STOP THE SPREAD STAY HOME.” I recall being taken aback — being so isolated at school, many of us failed to realize how serious the situation was. Many of us thought we would be right back at school soon with life carrying on like normal.

Obviously, we were wrong, and it was only the beginning of a pandemic which we are still suffering through a whole year later. In the United States alone, there has been over 566,000 deaths and over 31 million cases of infection as of April 18. These numbers are astonishing and hard to comprehend, but we must not only worry about the actual COVID-19 disease, but also another one lurking in the background — the mental health crisis gripping our nation.

In a study done in December 2020, more than 42 percent of those surveyed by the U.S. Census Bureau reported feeling symptoms of depression or anxiety, which is a significant increase from the 11 percent reported last year. Other studies have found 36 percent of adults report trouble sleeping and 32 percent have trouble eating. In addition, there has been a 12 percent increase in alcohol consumption or substance use, in an attempt to cope with the stresses the pandemic has placed on people from every walk of life. Specifically, 56 percent of young adults, many of whom are currently in university, report symptoms of anxiety or depression. At Le Moyne College, this issue hits very close to home as they have just seen a third student commit suicide in the past 18 months. This has prompted students to push their administration for better mental health services. In a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey of 5,400 people done in the last week of June, 25.5 percent of respondents aged 18 to 24 reported seriously considering suicide — a startling statistic. Many of these individuals will inevitably turn to substance abuse to cope with their pain. In addition, the Well Being Trust predicts there will be an additional 75,000 “deaths of despair” due to alcohol, drug misuse and suicide related to the pandemic.

The spike in the mental health crisis the United States and the world is experiencing is due to a myriad of factors. Some of these include school closures, loss of income and job security, loneliness and isolation, economic uncertainty and fear of the unknown. For students, COVID-19 essentially turned life upside down. Nearly two-thirds of college students in the United States went fully or primarily online, student loan payments have been frozen, records of anxiety and depression are skyrocketing and enrollment in college fell 2.5 percent for fall 2020. In addition, 42 percent of undergraduates have reported major difficulty staying motivated once classes moved online, a feeling many of us can understand. While moving online is difficult for everyone, for students who don’t have sufficient internet access at home, continuing their studies as they had before would prove nearly impossible.

This mental health issue is not new, as before the pandemic in 2019 about 11 percent of adults were reported to suffer from mental illness. This already large issue is just being exacerbated by the pandemic. In the United States, mental health is not a priority, and many patients struggle to get their insurance to pay for care or to gain access to inefficient or lackluster services.

There is often a stigma surrounding mental health, and this stigma can make those suffering feel even more lonely or isolated during a time when they need the exact opposite. Being open and honest about how we feel is vital, especially now. Even if one does not report feelings of anxiety or depression, the pandemic is affecting everyone in different ways. As college students trying to learn and get a degree during this time, online class has made it extraordinarily difficult to get the level of education that in-person instruction provides. Many students feel overwhelmed or burnt out and often fail to even identify these feelings. It is so important during these times to acknowledge the need to take care of ourselves and go out of our way to do something for ourselves, even if it is as small as taking a walk or talking to a friend.

While these times are hard and stressful, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, even if sometimes it doesn’t feel like it. According to the CDC, about 131.2 million people have already received at least one dose of the vaccine. However, even once things go back to “normal” and everyone is vaccinated, we are still going to be left with this issue of mental health which will not just disappear as, hopefully, the coronavirus will.

On a governmental level, legislation addressing these issues is essential. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, signed into law by President Biden on March 11, 2021, includes a section on mental health and substance abuse disorders that will allocate money toward mental health services, treatment centers, mental health training and youth suicide prevention, among many other things. Aside from government legislation, universities need to do more to address this pressing issue. Even before the pandemic, access to and quality of mental health services on campus were nowhere near where they needed to be. BU and every university in the country needs to take action in order to prevent a tragedy like those that occurred at Le Moyne College. Mental health is just as important as physical health, and it is going to take a wide-sweeping effort on the part of the government, universities and students to address and combat the issue of mental health.

Eve Marks is a sophomore double-majoring in environmental studies and philosophy, politics and law.