As the death toll climbs, unemployment soars, and the economy grinds to a halt, an epidemic is surging beneath the surface of the coronavirus pandemic: social distancing and uncertainty are stoking America’s already rampant mental health crisis. In a nationally representative poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, nearly half of people in the United States — 45 percent — say the situation has affected their mental health. Rates are slightly higher among women and people of color. More than half of respondents are worried about getting sick because they can’t afford to miss work.

In April, a top emergency room surgeon at New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital died by suicide, presumably due to the emotional strain of fighting COVID-19. Comprehensive data about US health care workers has yet to become available, but research from China has revealed high rates of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and distress, particularly for nurses, women, and those on the front line.

None of this is surprising. Social isolation and loneliness are linked to numerous mental health problems and even heart disease. Experiencing uncertainty, such as long-term unemployment, increases the likelihood of chronic anxiety and depression. Over half of physicians and a third of nurses were experiencing symptoms of burnout before the crisis.