2020 U.S. Statistics on Depression

Scientifically reviewed by Viktor Sander B.Sc., B.A. on May 26, 2020.

This page summarizes the latest statistics and data from major surveys on depression in America up to 2020.

Data sources include the Center for Disease Control, the National Institute of Mental Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Harvard Medical School, Anxiety and Depression Association of America, and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Sections

1. Depression in the general U.S. population
2. Costs associated with depression
3. Depression in women
4. Postpartum depression
5. Depression and age
6. Depression and race
7. Depression and medication
8. Depression and health
9. Depression and suicide
10. Prevalence of different types of depression

Depression in the General U.S. Population

• • 24.9% of American adults have symptoms of depressive disorder. In June 2019, that number was 6.6%.²¹ (CDC, May 2020)
  • 26.9% of adult females have symptoms of depressive disorder. For men, that number is 22.7%.²¹ (CDC, May 2020)
  • 9.4% of those who visited emergency departments had depression indicated on their medical records.² (CDC, 2016)
  • 5% of Americans suffer from seasonal depression. The condition usually occurs in the autumn and throughout the winter.³ (APA, 2017)
  • 32.5 years old is the median age of depression onset.⁴ (ADAA)
  • Nearly 50% of all people diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.⁴ (ADAA)
  • 11 million U.S. adults experienced a depression episode that resulted in severe impairment in the past year.⁵

Data in this section from the Center for Disease Control, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, and Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Full reference list at the bottom of this page.

Costs Associated With Depression

Data about costs associated with depression from Greenberg et al., 2015⁴

• 210.5 billion dollars per year is the total economic burden associated with major depression. This figure includes missed workdays, decreased work productivity, and medical costs.
• 21.5% increase in economic burden related to depression between 2005 and 2010. (From $173.2 billion to $210.5 billion, inflation-adjusted dollars.)
• $10.5 billion is the annual suicide-related cost.
• $105 billion is the annual workplace cost related to depression.
• $79 billion is the annual healthcare cost related to depression.

All data in this section is from Greenberg, Paul & Fournier, Andree-Anne & Sisitsky, Tammy & Pike, Crystal & Kessler, Ronald. (2015). The Economic Burden of Adults With Major Depressive Disorder in the United States (2005 and 2010). The Journal of clinical psychiatry. 76. 155-62. 10.4088/JCP.14m09298.

Depression in Women

• 26.9% of adult females have symptoms of depressive disorder. For men, that number is 22.7%.²¹ (CDC, May 2020)
• 17% of women with major depression suffer from Low Bone Mass, compared to 2% of women who don’t report having major depression.⁷
• 1.9% of women have persistent depressive disorder – a low-level depression that lasts two years or longer – compared with 1.0% for men.⁸ (Harvard Medical School, 2007)

Postpartum Depression

• 10-15% of mothers in the U.S. develop postpartum depression – depression related to childbirth.¹⁰ (2011, APA)
• 80% of new mothers in the U.S. experience “baby blues” – mood swings, sadness, and fatigue that usually pass within a week or two.¹¹
• Half of all women diagnosed with postpartum depression have never had an episode of depression before.⁵
• About half of all women who are eventually diagnosed with postpartum depression began experiencing symptoms during pregnancy.⁵

Depression and Age

• Children aged 3-17: 3.2% (1.9 million) have diagnosed major depression.¹² (CDC, 2018)

Americans with symptoms of depressive disorder.²¹ (CDC, May 2020)

• 18-29-year-olds: 36.7%.²¹
• 30-39-year-olds: 27.4%.²¹
• 40-49-year-olds: 24.2%.²¹
• 59-59-year-olds: 24.6%.²¹
• 60-69-year-olds: 19.8%.²¹
• 70-79-year-olds: 13.3%.²¹
• 80+ year-olds: 17.1%.²¹

Depression and Race

Americans with symptoms of depressive disorder. Data from CDC, May 2020.

• Hispanic or Latino: 36.3%.²¹
• Asian: 22.2%.²¹
• Black: 30.2%.²¹
• White: 27.6%.²¹
• Two or more races: 38.6%.²¹

Depression and Medication

• 12.7% of persons aged 12 and over, – 8.6% of males, and 16.5% of females – took antidepressant medication in the past month.¹³
• For both males and females, non-Hispanic white persons were more likely to take antidepressant medication compared with those of other race and Hispanic-origin groups.¹³
• One in four who take antidepressant medication has done so for 10 years or more.¹³

All data in this section is from Pratt LA, Brody DJ, Gu Q. Antidepressant use among persons aged 12 and over: United States, 2011–2014. NCHS data brief, no 283. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2017.

Depression and Health

• 64% increased risk of coronary artery disease in adults with depressive disorder.⁵ (NIMH, 2017)
• 25% of cancer patients experience depression. (NIMH, 2002)
• 1 in 3 heart attack survivors experience depression. (NIMH, 2002)
• 22-50% of individuals with anorexia suffer from mood disorders such as depression.¹⁴
• Up to 80% of those treated for depression show an improvement in their symptoms generally within four to six weeks of beginning medication, psychotherapy, attending support groups, or a combination of these treatments. (NIMH, 1998)

Depression and Suicide

• 47,173 is the number of suicides in the U.S. in 2016.¹⁵ (Kochanek et al. 2019)
• 14.5 is the number of suicide deaths per 100,000 population.¹⁵ (Kochanek et al. 2019)
• Suicide was the tenth leading cause of death overall in the United States, claiming the lives of over 47,000 people.¹⁶ (CDC, 2017)
• Suicide was the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34, and the fourth leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 35 and 54.¹⁶ (CDC, 2017)
• There were more than twice as many suicides (47,173) in the United States as there were homicides (19,510).¹⁶ (CDC, 2017)
• 40% of all people who complete suicide have made at least one previous attempt.¹⁷
• Individuals with substance abuse disorders are six times more likely to complete suicide than people who don’t have drug or alcohol problems.¹⁷
• Eight out of 10 people considering suicide give some signs of their intentions.¹⁷
• Men are four times as likely to die by suicide compared with women.¹⁷

Prevalence of Different Types of Depression

Persistent Depressive Disorder

Persistent depressive disorder is a low-level depression that lasts two years or longer.¹⁸

• 1.5% of Americans suffer from persistent depressive disorder.¹⁸
• 1.9% of women have persistent depressive disorder compared with 1.0% for men.¹⁸
• 2.3% of those aged 45-59 suffer from persistent depressive disorder. This is to compared with 1.7% of 30-44-year-olds, 1.1% of 18-29-year-olds, and 0.5% of 60+ year-olds.¹⁸

Bipolar Disorder

• 2.8% of Americans have bipolar disorder. The condition is characterized by manic episodes that may be preceded by a period of depression.¹⁹
• 25 years old is the median age of onset for bipolar disorder The illness can start in early childhood or as late as the 40s and 50s.¹⁹ (NIMH).
• Women with bipolar disorder may have more depressive episodes than men.¹⁹ (ASCP, 1995)

Seasonal Depression

Seasonal depression usually occurs in the autumn and throughout the winter. It is uncommon during spring and summer.³

• 5% of Americans suffer from seasonal depression.³
• 20-30 years old is the average age of onset of seasonal depression.³
• Four out of five people with seasonal depression are women.³

References

1. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2018). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. SMA 18-5068, NSDUH Series H-53). Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
2. Rui P, Okeyode T. National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2016 National.
3. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), APA. Retrieved May 26, 2020. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/seasonal-affective-disorder
4. Facts & Statistics, Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Retrieved May 26, 2020. https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics
5. Depression Statistics Everyone Should Know, Verywell Mind. Retrieved May 26, 2020. https://www.verywellmind.com/depression-statistics-everyone-should-know-4159056
6. Greenberg, Paul & Fournier, Andree-Anne & Sisitsky, Tammy & Pike, Crystal & Kessler, Ronald. (2015). The Economic Burden of Adults With Major Depressive Disorder in the United States (2005 and 2010). The Journal of clinical psychiatry. 76. 155-62. 10.4088/JCP.14m09298.
7. Eskandari F, Martinez PE, Torvik S, et al. Low Bone Mass in Premenopausal Women With Depression. Arch Intern Med. 2007;167(21):2329–2336. doi:10.1001/archinte.167.21.2329
8. Harvard Medical School, 2007. National Comorbidity Survey (NCS). (2017, August 21). Retrieved from https://www.hcp.med.harvard.edu/ncs/index.php. Data Table 2: 12-month prevalence DSM-IV/WMH-CIDI disorders by sex and cohort.
9. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 58, 1995. Suppl.15.
10. American Psychological Association, Treating postpartum depression. Retrieved May 26 2020. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/02/postpartum
11. Postpartumdepression.org, Statistics of Postpartum Depression. Retrieved May 26 2020 https://www.postpartumdepression.org/resources/statistics/
12. Ghandour RM, Sherman LJ, Vladutiu CJ, Ali MM, Lynch SE, Bitsko RH, Blumberg SJ. Prevalence and treatment of depression, anxiety, and conduct problems in U.S. children. The Journal of Pediatrics, 2018. Published online before print October 12, 2018
13. Pratt LA, Brody DJ, Gu Q. Antidepressant use among persons aged 12 and over: United States, 2011–2014. NCHS data brief, no 283. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2017.
14. (Ulfvebrand, S., Birgegard, A., Norring, C., Hogdahl, L., & von Hausswolff-Juhlin, Y. (2015). Psychiatric comorbidity in women and men with eating disorders results from a large clinical database. Psychiatry Research, 230(2), 294-299.)
15. Kochanek KD, Murphy SL, Xu JQ, Arias E. Deaths: Final data for 2017. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 68 no 9. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2019.
16. CDC, Leading Causes of Death Reports, 1981 – 2018. Retrieved May 26 2020. https://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/leadcause.html
17. Verywellmind, Differences in Suicide Among Men and Women, Retrieved May 26 2020. https://www.verywellmind.com/gender-differences-in-suicide-methods-1067508
18. National Institute of Mental Health, Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymic Disorder). Retrieved May 26 2020. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/persistent-depressive-disorder-dysthymic-disorder.shtml#part_155912
19. Bipolar Disorder Statistics, DBSA. Retrieved May 26 2020. https://www.dbsalliance.org/education/bipolar-disorder/bipolar-disorder-statistics/
20. Steinman, L. E., Frederick, J. T., Prohaska, T., Satariano, W. A., Dornberg-Lee, S., Fisher, R., … Snowden, M. (2007). Recommendations for Treating Depression in Community-Based Older Adults. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 33(3), 175–181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2007.04.034
21. Mental Health, Household Pulse Survey, CDC. Retrieved June 4, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/covid19/pulse/mental-health.htm