Teenage Depression Statistics in the United States
Teenage depression in the U.S. remains a significant public health concern. In 2024, over 5.2 million teens experienced a major depressive episode, yet more than half did not receive treatment.
The effects of untreated depression are widespread, with many adolescents facing daily impairment. The rates of depression vary across demographics, with LGBTQ+ and racial minority groups being particularly affected. Additionally, there is a troubling link between depression and substance abuse among teens.
Despite these challenges, access to consistent mental health care remains insufficient, leaving many young people without the help they need.
Key Takeaways:
- In 2024, more than 5.2 million teenagers in the U.S. experienced at least 1 major depressive episode.
- Over half (56.1%) of American teens with a major depressive episode did not receive any mental health treatment in 2024.
- In 2024, 15% of teens in the U.S. experienced depressive symptoms that inhibited their daily functioning.
- In 2023, only 28% of severely depressed teens received consistent treatment.
- American Asian youth had the highest rate of untreated major depression (78%) in 2023, followed by multiracial and Black teens (68%).
- Of the 3.9 million American adolescents with major depressive episodes in 2022, 922,000 also had a substance use disorder. Common substances used included illicit drugs (26.1%) and marijuana (22.1%).
- In 2022, 28.4% of American teens with both depression and substance abuse received no help for either condition.
- 54% of LGBTQ+ youth reported depression symptoms in 2023, with the highest rates among transgender and nonbinary youth.
General Insights
General insights into teen depression in the U.S. include:
- According to Mental Health America (MHA), around 20.17% of teenagers in the U.S. (or 5,217,000 people) reported having at least 1 major depressive episode (MDE) in 2024.
- In 2024, 15% of teens in the U.S. experienced an MDE that significantly disrupted their ability to function in daily life, whether at school, work, or home.
- In 2024, the percentage of youth experiencing major depressive episodes varied by state, with rates ranging from 16.02% in the District of Columbia (5000 individuals) to nearly 25% in Oregon (76,000 individuals).
- In 2024, MHA reported that over half (56.1%) of teenagers experiencing major depressive episodes were left without any form of mental health support, such as medical treatment, therapy, or medication.
- According to the State of Mental Health America 2023 Report, approximately 11.5% of youth, or more than 2.7 million adolescents, were grappling with severe major depression in the past year.
- In 2023, the rate of severe major depressive episodes among youth showed considerable variation across states, with South Carolina reporting the lowest at 5.2%, while South Dakota had the highest at 19.9%.
- In 2023, youth identifying as multiracial had the highest rates of severe major depression, with 16.5% affected, representing roughly 123,000 individuals.
- According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 19.5% of U.S. teens (or 4.8 million individuals) experienced a major depressive episode in 2022. Of these, 14.6% (or 3.6 million) had an MDE that caused serious impairment, significantly affecting their daily functioning.
- In 2022, white adolescents in the U.S. reported the highest rates of major depressive episodes (21%), followed by Hispanic (19.5%) and multiracial (19.1%) individuals.
- According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, female adolescents were 2.5 times more likely to report depressive symptoms in 2022 compared to their male counterparts—25.1% compared to 10.1%.
- The Forum on Child and Family Statistics reported that in 2021, major depressive episodes were significantly more common among female adolescents (ages 12 to 17), with 29% experiencing depression compared to 12% of their male counterparts.
- In 2021, 15% of youth in the U.S. experienced an MDE with severe impairment. Females were nearly 3 times as likely to suffer from severe impairment due to MDE, with 22% affected compared to 8% of males.
Teen Depression Treatment Rates in the United States
Here are some statistics on treatment rates among teenagers with depression:
- According to MHA, in 2024, 65% of adolescents in the U.S. who received treatment for an MDE said it was at least somewhat helpful. About 36% reported that the treatment helped them “a lot” or “extremely”.
- In 2024, there was a 52% gap between the highest-ranked state, the District of Columbia, and the lowest-ranked, Iowa, in the number of youth who found their depression treatment effective.
- State rates of youth who felt depression treatment was effective range from 84.6% in the District of Columbia to just 32.5% in Iowa in 2024.
- According to MHA, in 2023, only 28% of American teens with severe depression received some form of consistent treatment, undergoing between 7 to 25 visits within the past year.
- In 2023, even in the highest-ranked state (South Dakota), only 58% of teens with depression received the minimum required level of treatment (only 7 times a year).
- Most teens struggling with major depression (59.8%) did not receive any form of mental health care in 2023. 14.7% went to a doctor only 1 to 6 times in the entire year.
- In 2023, Asian youth dealing with major depressive episodes were the least likely to receive care, with a significant 78% not receiving depression treatment. This was followed by multiracial and African American teens (68% each).
- In states like Kentucky, Hawaii, and Texas, approximately 75% of teens with major depression went without mental health treatment in 2023. In South Carolina, nearly 80% did not receive adequate treatment.
- In 2022, nearly half (48.3%) of adolescents with major depressive disorder reported that their need for mental health care went unmet.
- In 2022, the most common reason teens reported for not receiving depression care was feeling they should manage their mental health alone (86.9%).
- In 2022, the percentage of untreated youth with depression varied by state, ranging from 31.50% in the District of Columbia to as high as 82.10% in South Dakota.
Depression and Substance Use Among U.S. Teens
Here are some statistics on the link between depression and substance use in teenagers:
- In 2022, SAMHSA reported that 3.9 million adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 experienced a major depressive episode within the past year. Out of this number, 922,000 had both major depressive disorder and substance abuse disorder (SUD).
- Among adolescents who had major depressive disorder in 2022, the most commonly abused substance in the past year was illicit drugs (26.1%), followed by marijuana (22.1%).
- Of the 922,000 adolescents who had both MDE and SUD in 2022, 28.4% (or 262,000 individuals) received no help for either condition. A majority (49.3%) received help for depression, but not substance abuse, while 20.8% received help for both. Only 1.5% received help for substance use only.
Depression in LGBTQ+ Youth
Here’s what you need to know about depression among LGBQ+ teens in America:
- The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth are over twice as likely to experience persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness compared to their heterosexual counterparts.
- Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth face more than double the risk of experiencing depressive symptoms, serious thoughts of suicide, or attempting suicide, in comparison to non-TGD youth.
- According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, LGBT+ adolescents were nearly 3 times more likely to experience persistent depressive symptoms in the past 2 weeks in a 2022 survey, with 37.3% reporting depressive symptoms compared to 10.9% of non-LGBT teens.
- According to The Trevor Project’s 2023 survey, over 54% of LGBTQ youth reported dealing with depression symptoms, with more than 60% of transgender and nonbinary youth and over 40% of cisgender youth experiencing these symptoms.
- In 2023, LGBTQ+ youth aged 13 to 17 reported a higher rate of depressive symptoms (57%) compared to youth aged 18 to 24.
- In 2023, pansexual youth had the highest prevalence of depressive symptoms among sexual orientations, with 62% reporting struggles.
- Compared to other gender identities, transgender male youth reported the highest rate of depressive symptoms (66%) in 2023.
- Native/Indigenous LGBTQ+ youth reported the highest rate of depressive symptoms (65%) compared to youth belonging to other ethnic groups in 2023.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Teenage Suicide Rate in the U.S.?
According to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2023, about 20% of American high school students contemplated suicide, and around 9% attempted to take their lives.
Do Female Teenagers Have a Higher Risk of Suicide?
In 2023, female high school students had more than double the rate of suicide attempts, with 13% of female teenagers attempting suicide compared to 6% of males.
How Common Are Eating Disorders in American Teens?
Around 2.7% of American teens (between 13 to 18) report symptoms of an eating disorder. Between 2018 and 2022, visits related to eating disorders increased by 107.4% across hospitals in the U.S. Studies suggest that young individuals with depression are 4 times more likely to develop an eating disorder. Learn more about eating disorders in our post called Teen Eating Disorder Statistics 2024.
Data Sources
- https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/data.html
- https://www.cdc.gov/yrbs/dstr/pdf/YRBS-2023-Data-Summary-Trend-Report.pdf
- https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt42731/2022-nsduh-nnr.pdf
- https://www.childstats.gov/americaschildren/health4.asp
- https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/press-release/roughly-1-in-5-adolescents-report-experiencing-symptoms-of-anxiety-or-depression/
- https://mhanational.org/issues/2023/mental-health-america-youth-data
- https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr206.pdf
- https://mhanational.org/issues/2024/mental-health-america-youth-data
- https://www.nami.org/about-mental-illness/mental-health-by-the-numbers/
- https://mhanational.org/sites/default/files/2023-State-of-Mental-Health-in-America-Report.pdf
- https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/depression.htm
- https://www.samhsa.gov/young-adults
- https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/sg-youth-mental-health-social-media-advisory.pdf
- https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2022/#intro
- https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/mental-health-minute/mental-health-in-lgbtq-youth/?srsltid=AfmBOoqNo7fLXKlpIn0R8I5kyLQw45jU9eqlxzDTu4qIYnGa0sn-Njfe
- https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2023/
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