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Cited by 1,424Mental Health Treatment and AccessChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentTreatment of Major Depression

National trends in the prevalence and treatment of depression in adolescents and young adults.

Open access
Mojtabai, Ramin, Olfson, Mark, Han, Beth·2016·Pediatrics
DOI 10.1542/peds.2016-1878PMC PMC5127071
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Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This study examined national trends in 12-month prevalence of major depressive episodes (MDEs) in adolescents and young adults overall and in different sociodemographic groups, as well as trends in depression treatment between 2005 and 2014. METHODS: Data were drawn from the National Surveys on Drug Use and Health for 2005 to 2014, which are annual cross-sectional surveys of the US general population. Participants included 172 495 adolescents aged 12 to 17 and 178 755 adults aged 18 to 25. Time trends in 12-month prevalence of MDEs were examined overall and in different subgroups, as were time trends in the use of treatment services. RESULTS: The 12-month prevalence of MDEs increased from 8.7% in 2005 to 11.3% in 2014 in adolescents and from 8.8% to 9.6% in young adults (both P < .001). The increase was larger and statistically significant only in the age range of 12 to 20 years. The trends remained significant after adjustment for substance use disorders and sociodemographic factors. Mental health care contacts overall did not change over time; however, the use of specialty mental health providers increased in adolescents and young adults, and the use of prescription medications and inpatient hospitalizations increased in adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of depression in adolescents and young adults has increased in recent years. In the context of little change in mental health treatments, trends in prevalence translate into a growing number of young people with untreated depression. The findings call for renewed efforts to expand service capacity to best meet the mental health care needs of this age group.

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  • The increase in mental health conditions has been most notable amongst adolescent females, the same cohort shown to be most at risk of PSU in this review.

    “The reason for this increase in incidence is unknown, but has been most notable amongst adolescent females, the same cohort shown to be most at risk of PSU in our review [5].”

    From Prevalence of problematic smartphone usage and associated mental health outcomes amongst children and young people: a systematic review, meta-analysis and GRADE of the evidence (2019) · cites this paper as [5]

    The Results report a stronger increase in 12-month major depressive episodes among adolescent girls than boys, and the Discussion says the causes of the trend remain elusive. The study measured prevalence of depressive episodes, not incidence or mental health conditions generally; its Limitations note that trends in other disorders may differ. The PSU comparison is identified as a finding of the citing authors’ own review, not a finding attributed to this source. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  • Over the past 25 years, the US prevalence of adolescent and adult depression indicators has increased.

    “O ver the past 25 years, the US prevalence of adolescent and adult depression indicators has increased.1,2”

    From Epidemiology of Adult <i>DSM-5</i> Major Depressive Disorder and Its Specifiers in the United States (2018) · cites this paper as [2]

    The Abstract and Results report increased 12-month major depressive episode prevalence among US adolescents and young adults from 2005 to 2014. The study does not establish a 25-year trend or an increase among adults generally; the Discussion says the increase was limited to ages 12–20, with no change at ages 21–25. (LLM, conf=0.91)

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  • Demographic correlates of MDD were consistent with previous surveys.

    “Demographic correlates were consistent with previous surveys.2,5”

    From Epidemiology of Adult <i>DSM-5</i> Major Depressive Disorder and Its Specifiers in the United States (2018) · cites this paper as [2]

    The Results (page not available in our copy) identify sociodemographic correlates of major depressive episodes in adolescents and young adults. The Discussion says the larger increase among girls than boys aligns with past studies, but it does not establish that the demographic correlates overall were consistent with previous surveys. The paper reports major depressive episodes, rather than MDD diagnoses. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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  • The likelihood that NESARC-III indicates valid increases in prevalence is supported by the coherence of its results with 6 other reports showing national increases in depression indicators and suicidality.

    “The likelihood that NESARC-III indicates valid increases in prevalence is supported by the coherence of its results with 6 other reports showing national increases in depression indicators 1,2 (also Katherine M. Keyes, PhD, written communication, January 2, 2018) and suicidality.1,86,91,92”

    From Epidemiology of Adult <i>DSM-5</i> Major Depressive Disorder and Its Specifiers in the United States (2018) · cites this paper as [2]

  • The depressive symptom trends matched those from other national data sources on depressive episodes and suicide-related behavior, suggesting the measures track meaningful adolescent mental health indicators.

    “However, trends in depressive symptoms were consistent with other national sources with information on depressive episodes and suicide-related behavior [2,4], underscoring that these measures correlate with other meaningful indicators of adolescent mental health.”

    From Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms Among United States Adolescents (2021) · cites this paper as [2]

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Authors
Mojtabai, R., Olfson, M., & Han, B.
Affiliations
  • Johns Hopkins University (US)
  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US)
Corresponding author
Mojtabai, Ramin
ORCID
Venue
Pediatrics
Publisher
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
Published
2016-12-01
Volume
138
Issue
6
ISSN
  • 0031-4005 (ISSN-L)
  • 1098-4275
DOI
10.1542/peds.2016-1878
PMC
PMC5127071
OpenAlex
W2554464434
Cited by
1,424
References
46
Citations by year
2026: 60 · 2025: 115 · 2024: 154 · 2023: 178 · 2022: 181 · 2021: 210 · 2020: 213 · 2019: 178 · 2018: 88 · 2017: 40 · 2016: 3 · 2014: 1
FWCI
161.73
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • PEDIATRICS (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (U19HS021112)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA019606)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
Keywords
adolescent depression, young adult depression, major depressive episode, prevalence trends, depression treatment, mental health service utilization, hospitalization, untreated depression, sociodemographic disparities, substance use disorders
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Child, Cross-Sectional Studies, Major Depressive Disorder, Female, Health Surveys, Humans, Male, Mental Health, Mental Health Services, United States, Prevalence, Young Adult

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