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Survey Suggests Increased Attention on Mental Health Warranted in the Run-Up to the Election

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Survey Suggests Increased Attention on Mental Health Warranted in the Run-Up to the Election  

New Findings from Myriad Genetics Reveal One-Third of Americans Say Election Season Affects Their Mental Health 

SALT LAKE CITY, June 24, 2024 – A significant 40% of Americans report feeling ‘depressed and/or anxious’ around the election season according to the latest GeneSight® Mental Health Monitor: Special Election Series, a nationwide survey from Myriad Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ:MYGN), a leader in genetic testing and precision medicine. 

“The results of the Special Election Survey show that politics and elections tend to trouble our nation’s mental wellbeing,” said Thomas J. Valente, a psychiatrist from Leesburg, Florida. “My patients, especially those with significant mental illness, all worry as to how the election will affect them. We want people to know that they do not have to live with depression and anxiety, and that they should be proactively seeking solutions.” 

In addition, the Monitor revealed that nearly four in ten Americans (38%) say that news and social media around the upcoming election is making them more anxious than usual as well as that approximately the same number (35%) already feel “checked out” by the overwhelming amount of news and social media attention.
The survey found that only 2/3 (63%) of Americans who have been diagnosed with depression and/or anxiety are currently seeing a healthcare professional for mental health treatment.  

For individuals struggling with their mental health, the GeneSight test could be a useful tool as it provides clinicians with information about how they may break down or respond to certain medications commonly prescribed to treat depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions 

“It is discouraging, but not surprising to note the percentage of patients diagnosed with anxiety and/or depression who go untreated or undertreated. Research shows that a combination of medication and talk therapy are the most effective treatment methods for depression and other mental health conditions,” said Valente. “We hope that Americans will consider taking steps to improve their mental health as we get closer to this important election. The GeneSight test is one of the tools I’ve used to help my patients get back on the road to mental wellness.” 

The results are the first of three in a series tracking how the election season may affect Americans’ mental health, particularly amidst the ongoing mental health crisis in the United States. The second survey of the Special Election Series will follow in September and a third round will take place in October. 

About the GeneSight Mental Health Monitor 

The GeneSight Mental Health Monitor is a nationwide survey conducted online by ACUPOLL Precision Research, Inc. between May 8-15, 2024, among a representative sample (n=1000) of U.S. adults age 18+. The margin of error in survey results for the total base population at a 95% confidence interval is +/- 3%. A nationally representative sample of adults aged 18 years or older was recruited and balanced to match U.S. Census quotas across five primary metrics (i.e., age, gender, income, region, ethnicity). 

In addition to the nationally representative sample, a statistically reliable sample was desired of respondents who were self-reported as being diagnosed by a medical professional with depression or anxiety. The study also used mental health screening instruments, the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) for depression, and the General Anxiety Disorder (GAD-2) for anxiety, to better understand this population. 

ACUPOLL has more than 30 years of experience conducting statistically valid research through careful recruiting and quality control measures. 

About the GeneSight Test 

The GeneSight Psychotropic test from Myriad Genetics is the category-leading pharmacogenomic test for more than 60 medications commonly prescribed for depression, anxiety, ADHD, and other psychiatric conditions. The GeneSight test can help inform clinicians about how a patient’s genes may impact how they metabolize and/or respond to certain psychiatric medications. Tens of thousands of clinicians have ordered the GeneSight test for more than two million patients in order to receive genetic information that is unique to each patient. The GeneSight test supplements other information considered by a clinician as part of a comprehensive medical assessment. Learn more at GeneSight.com. 

About Myriad Genetics 

Myriad Genetics is a leading genetic testing and precision medicine company dedicated to advancing health and well-being for all. Myriad develops and offers genetic tests that help assess the risk of developing disease or disease progression and guide treatment decisions across medical specialties where genetic insights can significantly improve patient care and lower healthcare costs. For more information, visit www.myriad.com. 

 

Safe Harbor Statement 

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including that the GeneSight test could be a useful tool when individuals are working with a clinician to find the right medication prescribed to treat mental health conditions and it may be particularly useful for clinicians in the months leading up to the election as the Special Election Survey indicates that 40% of Americans report feeling ‘depressed and/or anxious’ about the upcoming election. These “forward-looking statements” are management’s expectations of future events as of the date hereof and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, conditions, and events to differ materially and adversely from those anticipated. Such factors include those risks described in the company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on February 28, 2024, as well as any updates to those risk factors filed from time to time in the company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K. Myriad is not under any obligation, and it expressly disclaims any obligation, to update or alter any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as required by law.  

 

Matt Scalo 

(801) 584-3532 

[email protected] 

 

Media Contact 

Glenn Farrell 

(385) 318-3718 

[email protected]  

 

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