CNN (6/15, Howard) says, “The proportion of US adults who have ever been diagnosed with depression ranges greatly depending on where they live.” Research published online June 16 in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report “finds that in 2020, 18.4% of US adults reported having ever been diagnosed with depression in their lifetimes – but, state by state, that percentage of adults ranged from an estimated 12.7% in Hawaii to 27.5% in West Virginia.” The researchers wrote, “There was considerable geographic variation in the prevalence of depression, with the highest state and county estimates of depression observed along the Appalachian and southern Mississippi Valley regions.” For this research, the team “analyzed data from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.” AAP President Rebecca Brendel, MD, JD, commented, “The fact that Americans are more depressed and struggling after this time of incredible stress and isolation is perhaps not surprising. … There are lingering effects on our health, especially our mental health, from the past three years that disrupted everything we knew.”
HealthDay (6/15, Mundell) reports, “Find out more about the signs of depression at the American Psychiatric Association.”
Related Links:
— “Nearly 1 in 5 US adults have been diagnosed with depression and the prevalence varies dramatically by state, CDC report finds,” Jacqueline Howard, CNN, June 15, 2023
— “Are You Living in One of America’s Most Depressed States?,” Ernie Mundell, HealthDay, June 15, 2023