By Marblehead’s Board of Health members Dr. Tom Massaro, Dr. Amanda Ritvo and Tom McMahon
“Social disconnection puts us at increased risk for depression, anxiety and suicide, as well as heightening our risk for stress-related physical ailments …. Its impact on our risk of premature death is on par with smoking 15 cigarettes daily,” said Vivek Murthy, former U.S. surgeon general.
Today’s world is marked by what the former surgeon general has described as a growing “social disconnect.” Marblehead has certainly experienced its share of strain recently – from a teachers strike and a tragic fatal crash to divisive votes and revotes on 3A, and now the looming FY27 financial challenges.
The CAHM (Creating a Healthier Marblehead) survey results focused more closely on individual experiences, which undoubtedly contribute to the personal stress many residents are feeling. When asked to identify the sources and levels of their stress, respondents across age groups named different stressors — yet very few described their lives as low-stress.
| Source of Stress | Age18-39 | Age 40-49 | Age 50-59 | Age 60-69 | Age 70-79 | Age 80+ | All Ages |
| Mental health | 32% | 23% | 22% | 16% | 15% | 15% | 20% |
| Physical health | 19% | 19% | 26% | 40% | 53% | 68% | 38% |
| Financial Concerns | 48% | 46% | 45% | 35% | 25% | 20% | 36% |
| Work/life balance | 80% | 76% | 62% | 35% | 14% | 7% | 43% |
| Parenting | 53% | 76% | 43% | 10% | 9% | 4% | 30% |
| Caregiving 2 | 33% | 43% | 61% | 56% | 46% | 44% | 50% |
The response to the caregiving question was perhaps the most surprising of all 42 survey questions. It deserves to be presented in full:
“Do you now, or have you in the past five years, provided care or assistance to a person who is disabled, frail, struggling with substance use, or living with a physical or mental health condition (for example, a child, spouse, parent, relative or friend)?”
The breadth of this question — spanning aging, disability, mental health and substance use —reflects the many ways caregiving touches modern life. It captures not only formal caregiving roles, but also the quieter, unpaid, often invisible support that so many residents provide every day.
What are the consequences of this level of stress?
One write-in response to the survey’s behavioral health question captured the mood succinctly: “These days, if you aren’t at least a bit depressed or anxious, then you aren’t paying attention to what is happening.”
At the same time, the CAHM survey also identified several very positive characteristics of the Marblehead community that are protective of mental health. More than 40% of residents of all ages report participating in volunteer activities. Nearly 80% say they usually or always receive the emotional support they need. More than 80% report that they can count on someone for practical help — whether that’s a ride, a small loan or assistance with errands.
The goal of CAHM and the Board of Health is to strengthen these numbers wherever possible, but they provide an encouraging baseline from which to build.
Marblehead is fortunate to have meaningful local resources. The Council on Aging offers a robust portfolio of programs for seniors, and the Marblehead Counseling Center remains an outstanding mental health resource for residents of all ages. More recently, the town made the Bloom app available at no cost to residents. The app helps individuals access mental health and behavioral health support, including up to four free counseling sessions, after which users are guided toward in-network, primarycare–based counseling through their own insurance plans.
Unlike physical health data — which are widely available through Massachusetts Department of Public Health datasets — mental health data are less granular and less town-specific. As a result, comparisons must often rely on broader regional or state figures.
For example:
● A 2024 Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation report found that approximately 30% of adults in Massachusetts report symptoms of depression and/or anxiety.
● A 2023 Health of Boston report found that 22.4% of Massachusetts adults had been diagnosed with a depressive disorder, up from 18.9% a decade earlier.
● Persistent anxiety in Boston rose to 27% by 2021.
These figures are generally consistent with CAHM responses. At a 30,000-foot level, Marblehead does not appear to be an outlier.
County-level data from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute provide additional context. The metric “Poor Mental Health Days” measures the average number of days in the past month when mental health was reported as “not good.”
Essex County reports 5.2 days, compared with 4.9 days statewide and 5.1 days nationally. By this measure, our county experiences slightly more “not good” mental health days than the state or national averages.
Nationally, the United Health Foundation and the American Public Health Association publish America’s Health Rankings annually. The 2025 report defines “Frequent Mental Distress” as the percentage of adults who report their mental health was not good for 14 or more days in the past 30 days. Massachusetts ranks fifth nationally at 13.3% overall.
However, gender differences are notable:
● Massachusetts women report frequent mental distress at 23.3% (ranking 17th nationally).
● Massachusetts men report 11.2% (ranking 7th).
● Among seniors, both men and women report 7.8% (ranking 16th).
These data suggest that younger women in Massachusetts experience disproportionate mental health strain. In the final CAHM report, we plan to analyze our local survey data by gender to better understand how these trends may be reflected in Marblehead.
But data alone are not enough. The key question is: What can we do to improve the environment in Marblehead moving forward?
The next major step for CAHM will be five, age-specific focus groups conducted in partnership with UMass Boston. These sessions will explore both the underlying causes of stress and potential solutions. Each group will begin with a simple but powerful question:
“If we want to make things better in Marblehead, what must change?”
The Board of Health remains deeply grateful to the 2,553 residents who completed the CAHM Wellness Survey. Your participation has helped us better understand the challenges facing our community — and will guide the work ahead.
