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 on
, 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 theThe 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.
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 . 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.
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.