20 May 2023 • Depression is more widespread than ever in the United States, according to a new report from Gallup. About 18% of adults – more than 1 in 6 – say they are depressed or receiving treatment for depression, a jump of more than 7 percentage points since 2015, when Gallup first started polling on the topic. Nearly 3 in 10 adults have been clinically diagnosed with depression at some point in their lifetime, according to the survey, which is also a record high.

According to the Gallup poll, young adults reported higher rates of depression than any other age group and the greatest increase in recent years. Nearly a quarter of adults under 30 say they are currently depressed.

Lifetime rates of clinical depression are significantly higher among women, with rates rising twice as fast as in men. More than a third of women said they had been diagnosed with depression at some point in their life, compared with about a fifth of men, according to the survey.

“The fact that Americans are more depressed and struggling after this time of incredible stress and isolation is perhaps not surprising,” said Dr. Rebecca Brendel, president of the American Psychiatric Association. “There are lingering effects on our health, especially our mental health, from the past three years that disrupted everything we knew.”

Source: CNN Health | Read full story