Percentage of U.S. college students with depression in 2021

A survey of college students in the United States in 2021 found that around 41 percent had symptoms of depression. Symptoms of depression vary in severity and can include a loss of interest/pleasure in things once found enjoyable, feelings of sadness and hopelessness, fatigue, changes in sleep, and thoughts of death or suicide.

Mental health among college students

Due to the life changes and stress that often come with attending college, mental health problems are not unusual among college students. The most common mental health problems college students have been diagnosed with are anxiety disorders and depression. Fortunately, these are two of the most treatable forms of mental illness, with psychotherapy and/or medications the most frequent means of treatment. However, barriers to access mental health services persist, with around 18 percent of college students stating that in the past year financial reasons caused them to receive fewer services for their mental or emotional health than they would have otherwise received.

Depression in the United States

Depression is not only a problem among college students but affects people of all ages. In 2020, around nine percent of those aged 26 to 49 years in the United States reported a major depressive episode in the past year. Depression in the United States is more prevalent among females than males, but suicide is almost four times more common among males than females. Death rates due to suicide in the U.S. have increased for both genders in the past few years, highlighting the issue of depression and other mental health disorders and the need for easy access to mental health services.