Startlingly Common – Nearly One in 10 in the US Reports Having Depression

Nearly 1 in 5 young adults and adolescents report having depression.

Adolescents and young adults have a particularly high prevalence of the condition.

According to a study from the City University of New York and the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, increases in depression without corresponding increases in treatment are widespread. Nearly one in ten Americans and nearly one in five adolescents and young adults reported having experienced depression in the previous 12 months in 2020. The findings were recently published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

The 2015–2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a nationally representative study of Americans 12 years of age and older, served as the source of the data. Major depression is the most common mental disorder in the United States and the most significant risk factor for suicidal behavior. According to prior research, the prevalence of depression in Americans rose from 6.6 percent in 2005 to 7.3 percent in 2015.

“Our study updates the depression prevalence estimates for the U.S. population through the year 2020 and confirms escalating increases in depression from 2015 through 2019, reflecting a public health crisis that was intensifying in the U.S. even before the onset of the pandemic,” said Renee D. Goodwin, Ph.D., an adjunct professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health and professor of Epidemiology at The City University of New York, and lead author. “The net effect of these trends suggests an accelerating public health crisis and that parity and public-service announcement efforts have not achieved equity in depression treatment.”

In 2020, 9 percent of Americans aged 12 or older experienced a past-year major depressive episode. Depression was more common among young adults aged 18 to 25 years at slightly more than 17 percent, and adolescents aged 12 to 17 years (16.9 percent). Depression increased most rapidly among adolescents and young adults and increased among nearly all gender, racial/ethnic, income, and education groups. However, depression prevalence did not change among adults aged 35 and over. Overall, the prevalence of help-seeking remained consistently low.

“Our results showed most adolescents with depression neither told or talked with a healthcare professional about depression symptoms nor received pharmacologic treatment from 2015 through 2020,” noted Goodwin.

The prevalence of depression among non-Hispanic white individuals exceeded that of all other race/ethnic groups. Depression also was consistently higher among women compared to men, and among adults who were not currently or previously married. While there was an increase in depression from 2015 to 2019 among those in each income group, the highest prevalence of depression was evident among those with the lowest household income.

“The elevated level and concentration of untreated depression among adolescents and young adults are especially problematic because untreated depression early in life is predictive of an increased risk of subsequent additional mental health problems,” said Goodwin. “The short- and long-term consequences of the pandemic on depression are not yet clear, but these estimates are a requisite starting point for quantifying the mental health impact of the pandemic. Expanding evidence-based, community-based, public-facing campaigns that promote help-seeking, early intervention, prevention, and education about depression are urgently needed.”

Reference: “Trends in U.S. Depression Prevalence From 2015 to 2020: The Widening Treatment Gap” by Renee D. Goodwin, Ph.D., MPH, Lisa C. Dierker, Ph.D., Melody Wu, MPH, Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, Christina W. Hoven, DrPH and Andrea H. Weinberger, Ph.D., 19 September 2022, American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2022.05.014