In the United States, rates of mental health disorders and depression are on the rise. Nearly one in ten Americans report suffering from depression, according to a new study. An even higher percentage among young adults and adolescents, 20% of whom claim to be affected.
In the United States, as in France, the prevalence of depression – the most common mental health disorder in the country – is increasing in all categories of the population. According to a new study published on September 19, 2022 inAmerican Journal of Preventive Medicineenvironment one in 10 Americans (9.2%) reported experiencing a depressive episode, compared to 7.3% in 2015. At the same time, more than 17% of young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 reported suffering from depression. compared to 10.3% in 2015. Among adolescents aged 12 to 17, 16.9% said they also suffer, compared to 12.7% in 2015.
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These alarming data are drawn from2015-2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Healtha national study of 12-year-old American individualsyears and more. According to the researchers, these results reflect a “public health crisis that was escalating in the United States even before the pandemic began “said Renee Goodwin, lead author of the study and a professor in the department of epidemiology at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.
The most affected women and the poorest
While young adults and adolescents are particularly affected, women (11.8%) are also more likely to report a depressive disorder than men (6.4%). However, the rates of depression have increased in both sexes since 2015. People in a household with the lowest income and unmarried people were also ranked as the most likely to suffer from depression.
And too often, victims of depression don’t seek help: less than 6 percent of affected Americans sought help to a healthcare professional or have received treatment. “Our results showed that the majority of depressed adolescents did not speak to a healthcare professional about symptoms of depression or received drug treatment from 2015 to 2020. “, keep on. “The high level and concentration of untreated depression in adolescents and young adults is particularly problematic because untreated depression early in life is predictive of an increased risk of further later mental health problems. “
This increase follows a global trend. During the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic (in 2020), global rates of anxiety and depression increased by at least 25% according to the WHO. In France the situation is similar: a study by Public HealthFrance in 2017 estimated thisone in 10 people had experienced a severe depressive episode within the past 12 months.
Source:
Trends in the prevalence of depression in the United States from 2015 to 2020: widening the therapeutic gap, American Journal of Preventive MedicineSeptember 19, 2022
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