America’s ‘Alarming’ Depression Problem – Newsweek

Depression remains a permanent problem in the United States, because historically high rates persist, reveals the Survey Gallup.

The reported percentage of American adults suffering or receiving treatment for depression has been greater than 18% in the past two years. Ten years ago, in 2015, the number was just over 10%.

“The increase is alarming, and it is important that we have an open mind and explore all the possible causes of rapid rates and apparently supported in depression in the last decade,” said Dr. Gerard Sanacora, professor of psychiatry, director of the research of Yale depression, said and co-direct Nowsweek.

Why it matters

Depression is a state of current mental health that can affect the way a person thinks, sleeps, eats and acts, and often causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest in previously appreciated things, but is different from sadness or sorrow.

It affects millions of Americans, and recent data from the World Health Organization (WHO) have indicated that up to 1 billion people worldwide live with mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.

There are many different types and severities of depression, and in serious cases, this can cause self-harassment or death by suicide. Tens of thousands of Americans follow each other each year, stressing the crucial importance of mental health treatment and support.

Risk factors for depression

Although depression can affect anyone, children and adults, there are known risk factors, said Sanacora. These include “genetics, age, sex and decline in general health”.

“It is possible that certain general health changes, for example, linked to long or increased levels of obesity and metabolic disorders could contribute to the increase,” he added, noting that the impact of these risk factors “has probably not changed spectacular throughout the population in recent years”.

Other major risk factors known to be associated with depression, “are more linked to stressful life events, substance consumption and social isolation,” he said.

The impact of the COVVI-19 pandemic

The turning point in the recent increase in American depression rates occurred during the COVVI-19 pandemic in 2020, according to Gallup data.

In 2019, the percentage of American adults who declared that he had been depressed in the Gallup survey, which is part of the national health and well-being index of Gallup in progress, was 12.5%.

The questions were asked by the respondents: “Did a doctor or a nurse already tell you that you suffer from depression?” And if so, “have you currently or are you currently treated for depression?”

From 2019, depression rates went from 13.8% in 2020 to 17.8% in 2023.

While depression rates continued to increase in the wake of the pandemic, it suggests that “the pandemic was more a tilting point than a Blip,” said Dr. David Mischoulon, director of clinical depression and research at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School, said Nowsweek.

This is probably due to the fact that the Pandemic COVVI-19 “has led to major changes in the functioning of our society, resulting in various forms of physiological and psychological stress as well as marked social isolation,” said Sanacora.

These changes included locking, mobility restrictions, employment loss, housing and food insecurity, and many others, said Mischoulon, which “all led an increase in depression and has not resolved for many people in the post-pandemic era”.

He said that the adoption of hybrid or completely distant work models has led to social isolation to remain “a problem for many”.

In addition, “many jobs lost during the pandemic have not returned,” he added. “The problems that emerged during the pandemic were not completely left and contributed to an increase in depression.”

A new factor of influence, brought by the COVVI-19 pandemic, is that now “many people cocovated are still struggling with the effects of the disease, for example long transporter syndrome, which can contribute to depression,” said Mischoulon.

While the pandemic has had a global impact on health and well-being, these changes “have probably disproportionately affected adolescents and young adults in addition to those from lower socio-economic backgrounds,” said Sanacora.

According to Gallup data, depression reports went from 22.1% in 2017 to 35.1% this year in households earning $ 24,000 per year, an increase of 13 points in eight years.

The same trend is identifiable in adults under the age of 30, depression rates double in 2017 in 2017 to 26.7% in 2025.

Why depression is higher among young people

While the Pandemic COVID-19 was a marked turning point in the acceleration of depression in the country, “depression in young people was already increasing before the pandemic and was accelerated by it,” said Mischoulon.

It depends on many factors, including the rise in social media and the screen time among young people, he said.

In addition, “the development challenges faced by adolescents and young adults were also complicated by current societal, economic and political instability,” he said.

“The increasingly polarized political environment in the United States has also contributed to insecurity, interpersonal conflicts and family instability among others,” he added.

Another factor of influence could be “changes in substance consumption models,” said Sanacora.

Although the data seems to indicate that there has been a recent drop in the proportion of young people using substances, there is also a suggestion that those using substances indicate “intensified consumption models with increasing disorder levels”, revealed a 2024 study.

Psychologists have pushed different approaches to fighting substances in young people in recent years, and the question remains a public health problem.

Other factors influencing depression

In addition to financial stress, especially in young adults and low -income individuals, as well as in students’ debt, rent and food insecurity, loneliness levels have also increased since the start of the pandemic, “said Mischoulon.

Gallup Research found a strong link between depression and solitude, and although the peaks of the pandemic era have dropped between 2022 and 2023, there has been an increase since.

In 2020 and 2021, there were points where 25% of us adults said that they felt alone “a large part of the day yesterday”. Although this dropped at downs of 17% in 2022 and 2023, the levels slipped to 21% in 2025.

“A greater opening on mental health problems and an improvement in sophistication in the mental health field have resulted in more people looking for aid and an increase in diagnostic rates,” said Mischoulon, adding that this cannot always “reflect an increase in the condition itself, just in its identification”.

For those who have low-income income, “educational limitations, unemployment, homelessness and isolation have historically increased the risk of mental distress and suicidality,” he said.

In addition, “financial insecurity, housing instability, food shortage and limited access to health care was a growing problem from the pandemic, and all contribute to depression,” he added.

Misoulon also said that “depression can lead to unemployment or underemployment, which in turn hung financial stress, creating a vicious circle”.

Overall, although the increase in depression rates in the United States can partly be influenced by the increase in attention given to mental health problems in recent years, “there is also a real increase in the number of people experiencing the symptoms of depression,” said Sanacora.

Complete interview below

NowsweekThe interview with Dr. David Mischoulon, director of the clinical and research program on depression at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School.

Q1: What factors have led to the rapid increase in depression rates in the United States?

“Depression rates have almost doubled in the past decade due to many factors. Himself, just in his identification. [fear of missing out (FOMO)]and social comparison. The increasingly polarized political environment in the United States has also contributed to insecurity, interpersonal conflicts and family instability among others. “”

Q2: Why did the cocvated pandemic have such a prolonged impact on depression rates? It seems that according to the data, it is the turn, but why have the rates continued to increase in the years following the pandemic?

“The pandemic was more of a tilting point than a blip. Locking, mobility restrictions, job loss, housing and food insecurity all led to an increase in depression and have not resolved for many people in the post-payic era. Always deal with the effects of the disease, such as long transport syndrome, which can contribute to depression.

Q3: Why do you think this increase in depression is largely among the under 30s?

“Depression in young people was already increasing before the pandemic and was accelerated by it. Social media and youth screening time contributed to depression. The challenges of development encountered by adolescents and young adults were also complicated by current, economic and political social adults. An entire generation of adolescents and young adults has entered a world world very different from the one expected. It is sort of a culture shock, but the concrete problems they face are very real. “”

Q4: How do socio-economic history affect depression rates, and why do those who have lower income tend to have higher depression rates, as data show?

“The level of stress associated with educational limitations, unemployment, homelessness and isolation has historically increased the risk of mental distress and suicidality. Low -income households have increased rates that have increased in recent years. Create a vicious circle. “”