Date Time COVID-related Depression Linked to Reduced Physical Activity A multi-institutional team of researchers followed university students to identify factors linked to depression and anxiety The United States spends more than $200 billion every year to treat and manage mental health. The onset of the coronavirus pandemic not only has deepened the chasm for those experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety; the chasm has also widened, affecting more people. New research from Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh and the University of California San Diego found that 61% of surveyed university students were at risk of clinical depression, twice the rate prior to the pandemic. This rise in depression came alongside dramatic shifts in lifestyle habits.