Adolescent Depression

Depression has a significant impact on adolescent development and well-being.124 Adolescent depression can adversely affect school and work performance, impair peer and family relationships, and exacerbate the severity of other health conditions such as asthma and obesity.125, 126, 127 Depressive episodes often persist, recur, or continue into adulthood.128 Youth who have had a major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year are at greater risk for suicide and are more likely than other youth to initiate alcohol and other drug use, experience concurrent substance use disorders, and smoke daily.88, 129, 130

Indicator HEALTH4.A: Percentage of youth ages 12–17 who experienced a major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year by age and gender, 2004–2019
Indicator HEALTH4.A: Percentage of youth ages 12–17 who experienced a major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year by age and gender, 2004–2019

NOTE: A major depressive episode (MDE) is defined as a period of at least 2 weeks when a person experienced a depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities plus at least four additional symptoms of depression (such as problems with sleep, eating, energy, concentration, and feelings of self-worth) as described in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV).

SOURCE: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Survey on Drug Use and Health..

Indicator HEALTH4.B: Percentage of those receiving treatment for depression among youth ages 12–17 with at least one MDE in the past year by gender, 2004–2019
Indicator HEALTH4.B: Percentage of those receiving treatment for depression among youth ages 12–17 with at least one MDE in the past year by gender, 2004–2019

NOTE: Treatment is defined as seeing or talking to a medical doctor or other professional and/or using prescription medication in the past year for depression. Respondents with unknown treatment data were excluded.

SOURCE: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

  • In 2019, 16% of the population ages 12–17 had at least one MDE during the past year, a higher prevalence than that reported in each year between 2004 (9%) and 2014 (11%).
  • Among youth ages 12–17 in each year between 2004 and 2019, the prevalence of MDE was more than twice as high among females (ranging from 12% to 23%) as among males (ranging from 4% to 9%).
  • The prevalence of MDE in 2019 was lowest among youth ages 12–13 (11%) compared with youth ages 14–15 (16%) and ages 16–17 (20%).
  • Between 2004 and 2019, the prevalence of MDE increased for both genders among all three age groups (12–13, 14–15, and 16–17).
  • The percentage of youth with MDE in the past year receiving treatment for depression increased between 2004 (40%) and 2019 (43%), but this increase was not statistically significant. Treatment was higher among females (46%) than among males (37%) in 2019.










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88 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2020). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. PEP20-07-01-001, NSDUH Series H-55). Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/ SAMHSA_Digital_Download/PEP20-07-01-001-PDF.pdf

124 Mojtabai, R., Olfson, M., & Han, B. (2016). National trends in the prevalence and treatment of depression in adolescents and young adults. Pediatrics, 138(6), Article e20161878.

125 Office of Applied Studies. (2008). The NSDUH report: Major depressive episode among youths aged 12 to 17 in the United States: 2004 to 2006. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://ntrl.ntis.gov/NTRL/dashboard/searchResults/titleDetail/PB2009115665.xhtml

126 Van Lieshout, R. J., & MacQueen, G. (2008). Psychological factors in asthma. Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology, 4(1), 12–28.

127 Goodman, E., & Whitaker, R. C. (2007). A prospective study of the role of depression in the development and persistence of adolescent obesity. Pediatrics, 110(3), 497–504.

128 Weissman, M. M., Wolk, S., Goldstein, R. B., Moreau, D., Adams, P., Greenwald, S., & Wickramaratne, P. (1999). Depressed adolescents grown up. Journal of the American Medical Association, 282, 1701–1713.

129 Shaffer, D., Gould, M. S., Fisher, P., Trautman, P., Moreau, D., Kleinman, M., & Flory, M. (1996). Psychiatric diagnosis in child and adolescent suicide. Archives of General Psychiatry, 53, 339–348. http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/53/4/339

130 Office of Applied Studies. (2007). The NSDUH report: Depression and the initiation of alcohol and other drug use among youths aged 12 to 17. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

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