Epidemiology is strongly associated with infectious disease. But as our collective understanding of health has evolved, so too has our understanding of epidemiology. Professionals known as psychiatric epidemiologists now study the long-term impacts of conditions like stress, anxiety, and depression.
In this article, we provide a sweeping overview of epidemiology, starting with its history (including a surprising Game of Thrones connection) and moving on to how it has evolved and grown to include mental health research.
What is Epidemiology?
Game of Thrones fans may be slightly delighted to learn that the field of epidemiology began with the work of a scientist named John Snow who investigated a cholera outbreak in London.
This John Snow knew more than “nothing”. His findings shaped the future of disease management. Epidemiology is the bedrock of public health. It refers to the study of how health events impact entire populations. Covid, in other words, was a little like the Super Bowl for epidemiologists. Day to day, they focus on the causes and patterns of infectious disease.
In recent years, the focus of epidemiologists has evolved to include other chronic conditions. While before, infectious disease was the primary focus of epidemiology, now time and new knowledge have led experts to expand their focus on conditions like diabetes or heart disease.
But in the modern era, society is increasingly focused not just on physical health, but also on mental and emotional well-being.
Epidemiology’s Transformative Shift
Mental health has recently emerged as an important facet of epidemiological research. Mental health professionals like psychologists and psychiatrists actively contribute to this integration by lending their expertise to the field.
While this integration may feel like an abrupt reflection of society’s relatively recent embrace of mental health and wellness, it has actually been a long time coming. The National Health Institute published a paper in 2001 describing higher rates of morbidity in populations struggling with their mental health.
The paper recommends relying more heavily on psychiatric epidemiology to draft health-related legislation.
Covid-19 did what it seems to do best: exacerbated the situation. The National Health Institute published another paper in the Fall of 2020 describing how the Coronavirus has led to an increase in panic attacks, depression, insomnia, and other mental health disorders.
The paper describes in great detail the correlation between infectious disease and higher rates of mental health problems. It goes on to explain ways that, you guessed it, psychiatric epidemiology may provide relief.
Of course, now four years have passed since the start of the pandemic we know that pandemic-related stress was very real. We also know that no one really figured out what to do about it.
So, is psychiatric epidemiology making a difference?
The Role of Mental Health Professionals in Epidemiology
While it may seem like Covid-19 was the perfect chance for psychiatric epidemiologists to strut their stuff, it’s important to understand that scientific research takes time. While epidemiological findings are applied to specific viral outbreaks, the data collected may be analyzed for decades and extrapolated toward future situations.
Covid-19 was a unique situation. It would have been a small miracle if psychiatric epidemiologists had been able to process and respond to the mental health aspects of the pandemic in real time. They did quietly assert their findings, and continue to do so to this day.
Papers are still being published about the mental health impacts of Covid-19, and the next time a global crisis emerges, one can reasonably assume that data from 2020 will inform the way psychiatric epidemiologists process their findings.
It’s Not All About Pandemics
Psychiatric epidemiologists don’t need a global catastrophe to make contributions to the global health conversation. Their findings are used regularly to improve the everyday lives of people all over the world. For example, research shows that LGBTQ youths experience higher rates of depression and anxiety due to social isolation, or stigma.
This type of finding is directly within the domain of epidemiology. It identifies a pattern, which can then be used to arrive at a solution. Many schools, recognizing the risks that their LGBTQ students face, are able to draft policy that offers them protection.
Other mental health research has indicated that a significant portion of the population experiences severe work-related stress. Nearly 50% of working Americans report that they need help managing work-related stress or anxiety.
About 15% of Americans would go so far as to categorize their stress or anxiety as a “mental health problem.”
That’s a big deal. Not only does it indicate that a major percentage of the population is experiencing mental distress but it also could suggest physical health problems down the road. High-stress levels are linked with heart disease, inflammation, diabetes, and even cancer.
Epidemiologists make these connections and come up with solutions to stop them in their tracks. While work-related stress has hardly been cured, it is now being addressed at a much higher rate than before. Now, 86% of job seekers will actively avoid companies with bad reputations for how they treat their employees.
In response, companies all over the world are investing time and money in improving their company culture.
These are big, health-related developments that may never have happened without the contributions of psychiatric epidemiologists.
Conclusion
It’s worth keeping in mind that modern notions of mental health and wellness are still quite new. World Suicide Prevention Day has only existed since 2007. Developments in how society views mental health are continuing to evolve. A famous survey known as “Time to Change,” found that acceptance of people with mental health issues has increased by 15% just since 2009.
As public attitudes toward mental health continue to evolve, more and more progress will be made. For now, there are plenty of developments to be grateful for. Many of them owe to the efforts of epidemiologists.
This story originally appeared on CareerAttraction