Recent Years Saw Increase in Youth With Anxiety, Depression
MONDAY, April 28, 2025 -- From 2016 to 2022, there was an increase in the proportion of youth who experienced anxiety or depression, according to a research letter published online April 21 in JAMA Pediatrics.
Marie E. Heffernan, Ph.D., and Michelle L. Macy, M.D., from the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, used publicly available data from the National Survey of Children's Health from 2016 to 2022 to examine trends in youth mental health conditions.
During the study period, the researchers found an increase in the proportions of youth who experienced anxiety (7.1 to 10.6 percent) or depression (3.2 to 4.6 percent). Similar proportions of youth experienced behavioral or conduct problems in 2016 and 2022 (7.4 and 7.5 percent, respectively) and had heart conditions (1.3 and 1.4 percent, respectively). In contrast, there was a decrease from 2016 to 2022 in the proportions of youth who experienced asthma (8.4 to 6.5 percent) or severe headache or migraine (3.5 to 2.6 percent).
"These findings suggest that deterioration in youth health was specific to depression and anxiety but not select physical health conditions," the authors write. "Our findings suggest that continued attention and resources are warranted at a national level to address the potential causes of worsening youth anxiety and depression."
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Read this next
Dementia Odds Significantly Increase With More Psychiatric Comorbidities
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 10, 2025 -- Dementia odds significantly increase with the number of psychiatric comorbidities, according to a study published online Sept. 9 in BMJ Mental...
Single Psychedelic Dose Reduces Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 10, 2025 -- A single dose of a pharmaceutical formulation of LSD provides significant relief for patients with moderate-to-severe generalized anxiety disorder...
Adjunctive Ketogenic Diet Beneficial for Major Depressive Disorder
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 10, 2025 -- A ketogenic diet (KD) is a feasible adjunctive therapy and is associated with improvements in depression symptoms among young adults with major...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.