A search for “anxiety relief” on Google pulls up links for supplements in the form of pills, patches, gummies and mouth sprays. There are vibrating devices that hang around your neck and “tone your vagus nerve,” weighted stuffed animals, bead-filled stress balls and coloring books that claim to bring calm. Ads for online talk therapy apps pop up on social-media sites.
Americans are anxious—and a flurry of on-line companies, upstarts and opportunistic entrepreneurs aim to fill the demand for relief.
Anxiety has come into focus across the country in part due to the stress of the pandemic, increased awareness about mental health and more screening in schools and at doctors’ offices. In a recent federal survey, 27% of respondents reported they had symptoms of an anxiety disorder. That’s up from 8% in 2019, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
Americans looking for help have found that the supply of available and qualified therapists hasn’t kept up with demand. Some can’t afford the fees. That has left a growing industry geared toward anxiety outside the medical and traditional mental-health professions, including supplements, products and mental-health coaches.
The science behind much of the industry is unclear and in some cases questioned by scientists and researchers. The anti-anxiety claims of most products have no federal or regulatory oversight. The role of the Food and Drug Administration is to ensure that supplements meet safety standards, are well manufactured and accurately labeled, but the agency doesn’t need to approve supplements before they can be sold or marketed. Supplements might interact with other medications.
Wearable devices aren’t regulated if they are intended for general wellness. Some scientists say there haven’t been enough large-scale, peer-reviewed studies to determine whether such products, which can cost hundreds of dollars, work. There’s also limited research on mental-health coaching, and clinicians warn that adequate training is needed to identify people in crisis and direct them to appropriate treatment.
Some in the industry say the science will catch up, and their goal is to fill the gap in a shortage of options for treatment. Sales of a range of supplements that say they offer anxiety support spiked after the pandemic hit, according to data from research firm NIQ. One of the most popular supplements that claim to help manage anxiety is ashwagandha, a plant that’s been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. The number of packaged ashwagandha products sold over the past year has grown fourfold since the same period ending mid-2019, according to NIQ.
Anxiety is a normal human emotion that can spur people to action. It becomes a disorder when it causes prolonged distress and interferes with a person’s work and relationships.
MENTAL HEALTH: Those in crisis will soon be able to seek help by dialing 988
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