Prevalence/magnitude
Depression has a significant impact on adolescent development and well being. 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. Depressive episodes often persist, recur, or continue into adulthood. 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.
How common is depression in children and adolescents?
- Studies have shown that on any single day (called “point prevalence” by epidemiologists) about 8 percent of adolescents meet the criteria for major depression. Looking in the long term, the numbers are higher—for instance, one in five teens have experienced depression at some point. In primary care settings the rates of depression are higher still—as many as 28 percent for adolescents.
- During childhood, the number of boys and girls affected are almost equal. In adolescence, twice as many girls as boys are diagnosed. Well over half of depressed adolescents have a recurrence within seven years.
- It is estimated that about 10 to 15 percent of children/teens are depressed at any given time. Research indicates that one of every four adolescents will have an episode of major depression during high school with the average age of onset being 14 years
- According to the 1995 National Survey of Adolescents (ages 12- to 17), 16% of males and 19% of females met most of the diagnostic criteria in the DSM-III for one of three psychiatric diagnoses—major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or substance abuse/dependence disorder
Percentage of youth ages 12–17 who experienced a Major Depressive Episode (MDE) in the past year by age and gender, 2004–2009
*NOTE: 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 4th 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
SOURCE: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Survey on Drug Use and Health
- In 2009, 8 percent of the population ages 12–17 had a Major Depressive Episode (MDE) during the past year, a lower rate than that reported in 2004 (9 percent).
- In each year between 2004 and 2009, the prevalence of MDE among youth was more than twice as high among females (12 percent to 13 percent) as among males (4 percent to 5 percent).
- The past-year prevalence of MDE in 2009 was lowest in youth ages 12–13 (5 percent), compared with youth ages 14–15 (9 percent) and youth ages 16–17 (10 percent).
- In 2009, 72 percent of youth with MDE (5.8 percent of the population ages 12–17) reported that the MDE caused severe problems in at least one major role domain (home, school/work, family relationships, social life).
- The percentage of youth with MDE receiving treatment for depression, defined as seeing or talking to a medical doctor or other professional about the depressive episode and/or using prescription medication for depression in the past year, declined from 40 percent in 2004 to 35 percent in 2009.
Additional ways to look at the facts:
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) examines the national prevalence of depression each year through the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). NSDUH’s most recent data for 2008 show the prevalence of depression among 12 to 17 year olds in the United States to be 8.3 percent. The chart below shows this prevalence estimate, as well as those from the preceding 4 years.
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Depression does not affect all demographic groups equally. Data from SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) show that among 13 to 17 year olds the prevalence of depression among girls is nearly 3 times as high as that for boys. Information from the NSDUH also shows that depression rates vary by age. Approximately 4 percent of 13 year olds experience depression, while rate increases to 11.6 percent among 16 year olds.
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References
Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. (2011). America’s children: Key national indicators of well-being; Adolescent depression. Retrieved from http://www.childstats.gov/americaschildren11/health4.asp
Heller, K. (2012). Depression in Teens and Children. Psych Central. Retrieved on June 29, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/2012/depression-in-teens-and-children/
Knopf, D., Park, J., & Mulye, T. (2008). The mental health of adolescents: A national profile; National Adolescent Health Information Center. Retrieved from http://nahic.ucsf.edu/download/the-mental-health-of-adolescents-a-national-profile/
National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2010). Depression in children and adolescents fact sheet. Retrieved from http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=8855
National Institute of Mental Health. (2010). Major depressive disorder in children. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/statistics/1mdd_child.shtml
Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. (2011). America’s children: Key national indicators of well-being; Adolescent depression. Retrieved from http://www.childstats.gov/americaschildren11/health4.asp
Heller, K. (2012). Depression in Teens and Children. Psych Central. Retrieved on June 29, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/2012/depression-in-teens-and-children/
Knopf, D., Park, J., & Mulye, T. (2008). The mental health of adolescents: A national profile; National Adolescent Health Information Center. Retrieved from http://nahic.ucsf.edu/download/the-mental-health-of-adolescents-a-national-profile/
National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2010). Depression in children and adolescents fact sheet. Retrieved from http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=8855
National Institute of Mental Health. (2010). Major depressive disorder in children. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/statistics/1mdd_child.shtml