More U.S. Teenagers Are Experiencing Depression

The share of U.S. teenagers who have experienced at least one major depressive episode in the past year stood at a high 17.8 percent in 2023 after having reached a peak in the Covid year of 2021 at more than 20 percent. This is according to an annual survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The new rates are more than double that of 2009, which stood at a lower 8.1 percent.

Meanwhile, the share of 12 to 17-year-olds receiving treatment for these episodes has risen, with the share of those affected who accessed mental health care now at 45 percent, up from just around 30 percent 15 years ago. However, the rate is arguably still low with less than half of those affected receiving any mental health treatment.

26.4 percent of teenagers experiencing a major depressive episode talked to a psychiatrist or psychologist, while approximately another quarter of those affected talked to a counselor, highlighting the importance of educational institutions for teenagers’ mental health care. 7 percent talked to a social worker.