Daily News Lesson

SHOW ALL

March 16, 2022, 8:08 a.m.

Americans describe the momentous mental health toll of the pandemic

Summary

Two years into the pandemic, concerns about COVID-19's impact on mental health continue to grow. We spoke to people across the country about their particular struggles and the work being done to help others suffering during the pandemic. And Dr. Tom Insel, who served as the director of the National Institute of Mental Health, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss what can be done.

Five Facts

  • Who are some of the people interviewed in this piece, and what are their backgrounds?
  • What are some of the ways the COVID pandemic has changed peoples lives in the past two years?
  • When did the COVID pandemic begin?
  • How did depression show up for those interviewed at the beginning of this segment?
  • How can mental health care improve in the U.S., according to Dr. Tom Insel?

Focus Questions

What have the last two years been like for you? What do you hope will change going forward? Media literacy: Why do you think the producers chose to interview so many mental health and education professionals for this piece?

For More

This week NewsHour Classroom will be running a series of student reflections on the past two years and their hopes for what's to come next. You can read the first in the series here .

Fill out this form to share your thoughts on Classroom’s resources. Sign up for NewsHour Classroom’s ready-to-go Daily News Lessons delivered to your inbox each morning.

Links

TRANSCRIPT

Recent Daily News Lessons

gloria

Daily News Lesson

Remembering Gloria Steinem and her trailblazing fight for women's rights

Learn about the life and career of one of the leading feminist voices of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries

economy

Daily News Lesson

Prolonged Iran war impacts global economy

Learn about the broad impact of the war in Iran on the economy in the U.S. and elsewhere

elnino-1

Daily News Lesson

How a super El Niño is fueling extreme weather

Discuss the impact of El Niño weather patterns and how a "super El Niño" will impact the U.S. this fall and winter

Screenshot 2026-09-01 at 10.27.38 PM

Daily News Lesson

Monitoring the Midterms: Whistleblower warns USPS rushing new system that could jeopardize mail-in ballots

"This new system would inject the federal government into the voting process of every city, town, village, and hamlet in the United States." — Reuters

SUPPORTED BY VIEWERS LIKE YOU. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY:

PBS News Hour Classroom

Copyright © 2025 News Hour Production LLC. All Rights Reserved

Illustrations by Annamaria Ward