Nearly 10% of Americans suffer from depression

Nearly 10% of Americans suffer from depression, with the mood disorder increasing fastest among teens and young adults, a new study finds.

Between 2015 and 2020, incidence of depression reached 9% among Americans 12 and older. Among teens and young adults, the depression rate stood at 17% in 2020, the researchers found.

"Depression is extremely common in the U.S. and has reached epidemic levels," said lead researcher Renee Goodwin, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the City University of New York's Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy.

"Depression is a public health problem, analogous to the flu, that needs to be addressed with public health strategies," she said.

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