Symptoms of Anxiety or Depressive Disorder

Health
Written By Alysha Rashid

One-third of Americans report symptoms of anxiety or depression, up from 11% in 2019. In LA and WV, over 40% of adults reported symptoms of anxiety or depression — the highest rates in the nation.

Symptoms of anxiety or depression, October 18–30, 2023

Percent of adults who experienced symptoms of anxiety or depression in the last two weeks

Source: CDC and Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey. Notes: This indicator is based on self-report of the frequency of anxiety and depression symptoms, derived from responses to the first two questions of the eight-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2) and the seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-2) scale.

Americans face a growing mental health crisis, with the percentage of adults reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression tripling from 11% in 2019 to 34% in October 2023.1 41% of adults In Louisiana and 40% in West Virginia reported symptoms of anxiety and depression — the highest rates in the nation — followed by Georgia (38%) with the 4th highest rate.

As negative outcomes from the mental health crisis escalate, researchers find that climate fears have taken a toll on Americans.[2],[3],[4],[5],[6],[7] A nationally representative survey from spring 2023 finds that 74% of Americans believe that global warming is happening right now, 48% believe that it is currently harming people across the nation, and more than half believe it will harm future generations in the U.S. and across the globe.[8] A 2022 poll by the American Psychiatric Association found that nearly half of Americans agree that climate change is impacting their mental health.[9] Research about the effects of climate change on mental health has led to terms such as “eco-anxiety” and “ecological grief,” defined as the “sense of loss or the anxiety people feel related to climate change, including the loss of a stable future.”[10] While experts describe this as a normal response to this crisis, there is concern on how it may shape one’s views or outlook on the future, particularly for young people (Youth Mental Health).

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Mental Health - Household Pulse Survey - COVID-19. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/covid19/pulse/mental-health.htm

  2. Panchal, N., Saunders, H., Rudowitz, R., & Cox, C. (2023, March 20). The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use. KFF. https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/#anxietyanddepression

  3. Callaghan, T., Kassabian, M., Johnson, N., Shrestha, A., Helduser, J., Horel, S., Bolin, J. N., & Ferdinand, A. O. (2023). Rural healthy people 2030: New decade, new challenges. Preventive Medicine Reports, 33, 102176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2023.102176

  4. National Institutes of Health. (n.d.). Risky Alcohol Use: An Epidemic Inside the COVID-19 Pandemic. NIH COVID-19 Research. https://covid19.nih.gov/news-and-stories/risky-drinking-alcohol-use-epidemic-inside-covid-19-pandemic

  5. Burd-Sharps, S., Tetens, P., & Szkola, J. (2021, March 20). Reports of Road Rage Shootings are on the Rise. Everytown Research & Policy. https://everytownresearch.org/reports-of-road-rage-shootings-are-on-the-rise/

  6. Gordon, P. (2023, December 6). The link between mental health and climate change. Association of Health Care Journalists. https://healthjournalism.org/blog/2023/12/a-deep-dive-into-climate-change-related-anxiety-and-depression-treatment-options/

  7. Uppalapati, S. S., Ballew, M., Campbell, E., Kotcher, J., Rosenthal, S., Leiserowitz, A., & Maibach, E. (2023, July 25). The prevalence of Climate Change Psychological Distress among American adults. Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/climate-change-psychological-distress-prevalence/

  8. Leiserowitz, A., Maibach, E., Rosenthal, S., Kotcher, J., Lee, S., Verner, M., Ballew, M., Carman, J., Myers, T., Goldberg, M., Badullovich, N., & Marlon, J. (2023, June 8). Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs and Attitudes, Spring 2023. Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/climate-change-in-the-american-mind-beliefs-attitudes-spring-2023/toc/2/

  9. Americans Report Mental Health Effects of Climate Change, Worry About Future. (n.d.). Www.psychiatry.org. https://www.psychiatry.org/News-room/News-Releases/Americans-Report-Mental-Health-Effects-of-Climate

  10. Morganstein, J. (2017). Climate Change and Mental Health Connections. Psychiatry.org. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/climate-change-and-mental-health-connections

Alysha Rashid
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