Depression rates rise to record levels in US: survey

HOUSTON -- About 18 percent of adults in the United States, more than one in six, say they are depressed or receiving treatment for depression, hitting a record high, according to a new survey from Gallup.

The figure rose by more than seven percentage points since 2015, when Gallup first started polling on the topic, CNN reported.

Nearly 3 in 10 adults have been clinically diagnosed with depression at some point in their lifetime, according to the survey, which is also a record high.

"The fact that Americans are more depressed and struggling after this time of incredible stress and isolation is perhaps not surprising," Dr. Rebecca Brendel, president of the American Psychiatric Association, which was not involved in the new research, was quoted as saying.

"There are lingering effects on our health, especially our mental health, from the past three years that disrupted everything we knew," said Brendel.

Experts say that awareness around mental health has grown, which could lead to higher rates of diagnoses, and that's not a bad thing.

The poll showed that young adults reported higher rates of depression than any other age group and the greatest increase in recent years. Nearly a quarter of adults under 30 say they are currently depressed.

Lifetime rates of clinical depression are significantly higher among women, with rates rising twice as fast as in men. More than a third of women said they had been diagnosed with depression at some point in their life, compared with about a fifth of men, according to the survey.

Also, for the first time, lifetime rates of clinical depression among Black and Hispanic adults matched or surpassed the rate among White adults.

As the demand for mental health services rises, the country faces a critical shortage of providers, the CNN report noted.