Prevalence of Depression in Teenagers and Adults in the United States

Audiologists may see patients who present with comorbid health conditions, including depression. Brody and Hughes (2025) used data from the August 2021–August 2023 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to evaluate the prevalence of depression in individuals aged 12 years and older.

Depression symptoms were evaluated via the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ–9; Kroenke, Spitzer, & Williams, 2001). Depression was defined as a score of 10 or greater (out of 27) on this questionnaire.

These investigators reported a prevalence of depression of 13.1 percent between 2021–2023. This was an increase in prevalence compared to 2013–2014, where the rate was 8.2 percent. Most individuals with depression (87.9 percent) reported at least some difficulty as a result of the depression at home, at work, or in social interactions and 39.3 percent reported having received “counseling or therapy by a mental health professional such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, psychiatric nurse, or clinical social worker” in the past year.

Brody and Hughes also noted differences in the prevalence of depression in 2021-2023 related to sex, age, and family income.

References

Brody, D. J., Hughes, J. P. (2025). Depression prevalence in adolescents and adults: United States, August 2021–August 2023. NCHS Data Brief 527:1–11.

Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., Williams, J. B. (2001). The PHQ–9: Validity of a brief depression severity measure. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 16(9), 606–13.