Boston College researchers find sharp increase in anxiety, depression during pandemic By Martin Finucane Globe Staff,Updated April 24, 2021, 12:16 a.m. Email to a Friend Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff/The Boston Globe In the latest evidence that the coronavirus pandemic has harmed peopleâs mental health, Boston College researchers say reports of anxiety and depression among Americans increased in 2020 to levels more than six times higher than the year before. âThe COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted nearly all aspects of life, leading to rising mortality rates, increasing economic inequiti...