TABLE 2—
Mental Distress (PHQ-4 Levels) Over Calendar Time, in High-Count and Low-Count US States: March 10 to 16, 2020
| Survey Date | PHQ-4 Level | Frequency, % |
|
| High-Count States | Low-Count States | ||
| Mar 10, 2020 | Normal | 75.4 | 73.2 |
| Mar 10, 2020 | Mild | 10.4 | 13.3 |
| Mar 10, 2020 | Moderate | 8.1 | 7.3 |
| Mar 10, 2020 | Severe | 6.0 | 6.2 |
| Mar 11, 2020 | Normal | 69.5 | 75.4 |
| Mar 11, 2020 | Mild | 19.1 | 13.6 |
| Mar 11, 2020 | Moderate | 6.2 | 6.0 |
| Mar 11, 2020 | Severe | 5.2 | 5.0 |
| Mar 12, 2020 | Normal | 71.6 | 76.2 |
| Mar 12, 2020 | Mild | 14.3 | 14.8 |
| Mar 12, 2020 | Moderate | 9.9 | 6.5 |
| Mar 12, 2020 | Severe | 4.1 | 2.5 |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Normal | 64.4 | 73.9 |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Mild | 22.8 | 18.1 |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Moderate | 9.1 | 6.2 |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Severe | 3.6 | 1.8 |
| Mar 14, 2020 | Normal | 62.3 | 80.3 |
| Mar 14, 2020 | Mild | 21.3 | 15.1 |
| Mar 14, 2020 | Moderate | 4.9 | 2.8 |
| Mar 14, 2020 | Severe | 11.4 | 1.7 |
| Mar 15, 2020 | Normal | 69.3 | 72.1 |
| Mar 15, 2020 | Mild | 22.8 | 14.3 |
| Mar 15, 2020 | Moderate | 1.9 | 6.0 |
| Mar 15, 2020 | Severe | 6.0 | 7.6 |
| Mar 16, 2020 | Normal | 59.0 | 65.6 |
| Mar 16, 2020 | Mild | 24.1 | 24.3 |
| Mar 16, 2020 | Moderate | 8.6 | 5.3 |
| Mar 16, 2020 | Severe | 8.3 | 4.8 |
Note. PHQ-4 = 4-item version of the Patient Health Questionnaire. High-count states are those with 50 or more confirmed COVID-19 cases as of March 10, 2020 (WA, NY, CA, MA). Low-count states are all remaining US states, with fewer than 50 cases.