Depression Statistics 2022

People with depression experience changes in their level of functioning in a variety of areas of their lives.

Depression symptoms can have a significant impact on people’s sleep, appetite, concentration, mood, energy level, physical health, and social lives. 

People who suffer from depression frequently report difficulty getting out of bed, a lack of motivation or energy to do the things they normally do, and feelings of irritability or sadness. All of these factors combine to make life much more difficult.

Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses and it affects 5%t of adults worldwide. Depression is a leading cause of disability in the world, and it contributes significantly to the global disease burden.

Women are more likely than men to be depressed. Mild, moderate, and severe depression can all be successfully treated.

There’s a fine line between sadness and a depressive disorder, which is commonly referred to as “depression.” Low mood, like other mental health issues, becomes a disorder when it gets in the way of your daily activities.

As a result of a long-lasting low mood, you may find it difficult to complete your daily tasks or maintain healthy relationships.

In this article, we will walk you through the depression statistics that you must know. Learn more about depression and how impactful it is, to you, your family, friends, and all the people in the world. 

What Is Depression?

Depression is a common illness that affects 3.8 percent of the world’s population, with 5.0 percent of adults and 5.7 percent of adults over 60 years old suffering from it. Around 280 million people worldwide suffer from depression. 

Depression is distinct from normal mood swings and short-term emotional responses to everyday challenges. It can be dangerous to one’s health, especially if it is recurrent and has a moderate or severe intensity.

It can make the person who is affected suffer greatly and perform poorly at work, school, and in the family. 

Depression can lead to suicide in the worst-case scenario. Every year, over 700,000 people die by suicide. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 29.

A complex interaction of social, psychological, and biological factors leads to depression. People who have experienced adversity in their lives such as unemployment, bereavement, or traumatic events are more prone to depression. 

Depression can worsen the affected person’s life situation and the depression itself by causing more stress and dysfunction. Depression and physical health have a symbiotic relationship. Cardiovascular disease, for example, can cause depression and vice versa.

Depression is reduced by prevention programs. School-based programs to improve a pattern of positive coping in children and adolescents are effective community approaches to preventing depression. 

Interventions for parents of children with behavioral issues may help to reduce parental depression and improve their children’s outcomes. Exercise programs for the elderly can also be beneficial in preventing depression.

Depression Statistics 2021

Depression falls under the category of mood disorders, a classification of disorders that has to do with low or high moods that cause serious problems in your life.

There are several mood disorders, including major depressive disorder, which is among the most common.

Major depression involves several symptoms that you feel all day for at least two weeks. Major depressive episodes can be debilitating for some people and even lead to suicidal thoughts or actions. 

However, major depressive symptoms tend to go away for a while after a few weeks. Other forms of depression may be less severe but longer-lasting, like seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and persistent depressive disorder (PDD).

The percentage of adults reporting recent symptoms of an anxiety or depressive disorder increased from 36.4 percent to 41.5 percent between August 2020 and February 2021, and the percentage reporting unmet mental health care has increased from 9.2 percent to 11.7 percent during this period.

Most growth was seen among adults ages 18 to 29 and those with less than an advanced college degree.

Learn more about depression with the statistics and facts stated below.

How Common Is Depression?

Depression, along with anxiety disorders, is the second most common mental health problem in the United States.

Approximately 16 million adults in the United States experience at least one major depressive episode each year. In recent years, however, that number has increased. 

Depression-related mood disorders include many different types, with major depression being just one of them. Depression and low moods can be caused by a variety of other conditions.

Depression can also be caused by long-term depression and bipolar disorder.

• Depression affects over 264 million people worldwide according to the recent study of the World Health Organization.
• Depression is the world’s leading cause of disability. 
• In the United States, neuropsychiatric disorders are the most common cause of disability, with major depressive disorder being the most common based on the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) published a report in 2013.

Depression Statistics In United States

An alarming 27.8 percent of American adults were suffering from depression in early 2020, compared to 8.5 percent before the pandemic.

One in three American adults is affected by depression, according to new research from Harvard Medical School’s Boston University School of Public Health.

• The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) published a report in 2017 that at least one major depressive episode has affected 17.3 million adults (7.1 percent of the adult population). 
• 63.8 percent of adults and 70.77 percent of adolescents with major depressive episodes had severe impairment. 
• Depression affects nearly twice as many women as it does men according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Adults (11.3%) and adolescents (16.9%) who reported two or more races had the highest rate of major depressive episodes. 

19.4 million adults in the United States had a major depressive episode at least once in 2019, according to the NIMHTrusted Source.

About 7.8% of American adults are part of this group. As a result, the true number of people suffering from depression may be higher than previously thought.

According to a study published in 2021, nearly 60 percent of people with depression do not seek professional help because of the stigma associated with depression.

According to the WHO, over 75% of people in low- and middle-income countries never receive depression treatment as a result of treatment barriers.

Who Does Depression Affect?

It doesn’t matter who you are; depression can affect anyone. Mental health issues affect a large percentage of the population, both here and abroad.

Depression can affect people of all ages, races, and socioeconomic statuses in different ways. For example, children may experience depression, but their symptoms may be different from those of adults.

There is a difference between adults and children when it comes to feelings of worthlessness and sadness.

Some people may have a higher risk of developing certain conditions. A person’s family history of mental illness may also play a role in their mental health.

Depression by Age

• There was a higher incidence of major depressive episodes (14.4 percent) among 12- to 17-year-olds than among 18-to-25-year-olds (13.8 percent ) based on the Association for Professionals in Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services report.
• The incidence of major depression was lowest among people over the age of 50. (4.5 percent ). 
• As of 2018, 11.5 million adults had experienced a major depressive episode with severe impairment in the previous year. 
• Between 2013 and 2018, the percentage of college students suffering from clinically significant depression increased from 9.4 percent to 21.1 percent according to the research published in the 2019 issue of Adolescent Health Journal.
• From 2007 to 2018, the percentage of people suffering from moderate to severe depression increased from 23.2% to 41.1%.

Depression by Race

Depression is a mental health disorder that can be difficult to identify racial disparities in. As a result of cultural differences in how depression is expressed and responded to, it is difficult to gather reliable data on how it affects people of different races. 

When it comes to major depressive disorder, “Major depressive disorder is a chameleon, changing its stripes as it presents differently across race and ethnic boundaries.” Ethnic minorities were less likely to suffer from severe major depressive episodes than Caucasians.

Minorities, on the other hand, were more likely to suffer from chronic depression. Major depressive disorder has a lifetime prevalence of 17.9 percent for Caucasians, compared to 10.4 percent for black Americans.

When it comes to chronic depressive symptoms, 56 percent of African Americans suffer from them compared to 38.6 percent of Caucasians.

Depression by Income Level

When it comes to mental health problems like depression, where one lives matters a lot in the United States. People with lower incomes are more likely to suffer from depression, according to the CDC.

As income rises, the rate of depression decreases as well. Middle and upper-class people are not exempt from depression, however.

When it comes to mental health issues like substance abuse, depression, and anxiety, children of affluent families are more likely to suffer from these conditions.

Even though many risk factors can apply to all demographics in the United States, poverty and socioeconomic conditions can raise your risk of depression.

Depression and Women

Depression affects nearly twice as many women as it does men based on a CDC study. Postpartum mood swings can range from a brief bout of “blues” after childbirth to a major depressive episode and even severe, incapacitating psychotic depression.

According to studies, women who experience major depression after childbirth frequently have had previous depressive episodes, even if they were not diagnosed.

Women with major depressive disorder (MDD) are more likely to have low bone mass, which can lead to fractures and increase their risk of osteoporosis.

Low Bone Mass was found to be more common in women with MDD (17%) compared to 2% of women who did not report having MDD.

Depression and Suicide Statistics

• Over two-thirds of the 30,000 suicides reported in the United States each year are due to depression according to the White House Mental Health Conference.
• In the United States, there are three suicides for every two homicides. Older adults have a suicide rate that is more than 50 percent higher than the national average. Untreated or misdiagnosed depression is responsible for up to two-thirds of older adult suicides. 
• Patients with untreated depressive disorder have a nearly 20% lifetime risk of suicide.
• Suicide was the second leading cause of death among people aged 10 to 34, and the fourth leading cause of death among people aged 35 to 54 (National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018).
• Between 2001 and 2017, the total suicide rate increased by 31%, from 10.7 to 14.0 per 100,000 in the general population according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) published a report in 2018 that stated:

Depression Treatment Statistics

Prescription medication or psychotherapy can be used to treat depression, as can a combination of both.

It has been shown that complementary and alternative therapies can help alleviate the signs and symptoms of depression. There are many different types of creative therapies, such as light therapy, vitamins, physical exercise, and mindfulness meditation.

• Adults over the age of 50 had the highest rate of treatment for depression among those who experienced a major depressive episode (78.9 percent) according to the Association for Professionals in Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
• The lowest rate of treatment was found among young people 12 to 17 years old (41.4 percent.
• Antidepressant use among adults in the United States has increased by 60% since 2010, to nearly 25 million people according to the American Pharmacists Association.
• In contrast to men, women are twice as likely to be prescribed antidepressants. 

Conclusion

Depression can cause intensely distressing thoughts and emotions, such as guilt, worthlessness, and suicidal ideation.

If you’re having trouble coping with painful and uncontrollable thoughts, know that you’re not alone. 

If you suspect yourself to have depression or someone close to you, a professional expert can help you or them to begin to investigate possible causes and provide guidance on effective treatments.

Trained crisis counselors can provide compassionate support by talking through their feelings and looking into additional resources.