Youth mental health treatment in the US: statistics and facts

Youth mental health treatment at a glance

Mental health problems are common among young Americans, and a majority of those with depression now receive some treatment. According to the 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 15.1 percent of adolescents aged 12 to 17, about 3.7 million young people, had a major depressive episode in the past year. Of those, 57.7 percent received mental health treatment, while 42.3 percent, about 1.6 million, did not. Across all adolescents, 27.6 percent received some form of mental health treatment in 2025.

The worst of the youth mental health crisis seen during and after the pandemic appears to be easing. The share of adolescents with a major depressive episode fell from a peak of 20.8 percent in 2021 to 15.1 percent in 2025. The CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows the same direction: the share of high school students with persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness fell from 42 percent in 2021 to 33 percent in 2025, the lowest level since 2017.

This report covers depression and treatment among adolescents, where young people get care, differences by sex and race, diagnosed conditions among children, psychiatric medication and the mental health of high school students. Data for adults is summarised in our hub on mental health treatment in the US. Students at colleges and universities are covered in our report on college student mental health.

Depression among adolescents

The NSDUH asks adolescents aged 12 to 17 about symptoms of a major depressive episode in the past year. The share rose for years before the pandemic, from 12.5 percent in 2015 to 15.7 percent in 2019 and 17.0 percent in 2020. Because the survey moved to web and in-person interviews from 2021, SAMHSA treats earlier figures as not directly comparable. On the new basis, the share peaked at 20.8 percent in 2021 and has fallen every year since, to 19.5 percent in 2022, 18.1 percent in 2023, 15.4 percent in 2024 and 15.1 percent in 2025.

Down from the 2021 peak: The share of adolescents with depression fell from 20.8 to 15.1 percent in four years.

Depression affects girls far more often than boys. In the pooled 2022 to 2024 data, 26.0 percent of girls aged 12 to 17 had a major depressive episode, compared with 9.8 percent of boys. By race and ethnicity, the share was highest among multiracial adolescents at 22.0 percent and White adolescents at 19.2 percent, and lowest among Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander adolescents at 7.6 percent. In 2025, 2.7 million adolescents, or 11.0 percent, had a major depressive episode with severe impairment.

How many depressed teens get treatment?

Treatment is measured differently today than before the pandemic. Earlier, about four in ten adolescents with a major depressive episode received treatment for depression: 39.3 percent in 2015 and 43.3 percent in 2019. Since 2022 SAMHSA has used a broader measure that counts any mental health treatment. On that basis, 56.8 percent of adolescents with depression were treated in 2022, 59.8 percent in 2023, 60.6 percent in 2024 and 57.7 percent in 2025. SAMHSA notes that the questionnaire changed again in 2024, and the 2025 questionnaire changed again, so the figures for 2022 and 2023, for 2024 and for 2025 should not be read as one trend.

Still four in ten untreated: In 2025, 42.3 percent of adolescents with depression received no mental health treatment.

Large gaps remain between groups. In 2024, 64.3 percent of girls with depression received treatment, compared with 51.1 percent of boys. White adolescents with depression were treated in 67.7 percent of cases, Hispanic adolescents in 53.2 percent and Black adolescents in only 44.7 percent. Regionally, the Northeast had the highest treatment rate at 70.0 percent and the South the lowest at 54.9 percent.

A racial gap: Black adolescents with depression were treated far less often than White adolescents.

Among adolescents with depression who received no treatment in 2025, 41.7 percent said they had needed care but not received it. And 40.2 percent of all adolescents with depression received neither treatment nor any other mental health services, such as support groups.

Where young people get care

Adolescents receive mental health care in many places. In 2025, 14.0 percent of all adolescents received treatment in the office of a therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist or other mental health professional, 13.3 percent took prescription medication for their mental health and 13.0 percent received treatment via telehealth. Schools play a big role: 11.4 percent received care at a school health or counseling center. Inpatient care is rare, at 2.5 percent, and 1.1 percent received mental health treatment in a jail or juvenile detention center.

Telehealth close behind: 13.0 percent were treated by telehealth, 14.0 percent in a therapist office.

The CDC National Health Interview Survey shows a similar picture from parents. In 2021, 14.9 percent of children aged 5 to 17 had received mental health treatment in the past 12 months, up from 13.6 percent in 2019. Among those aged 12 to 17 the share rose from 16.8 to 18.9 percent. Children in nonmetropolitan areas were more likely to receive treatment than those in large cities, 19.1 compared with 14.0 percent in 2021, while Asian children had the lowest rate at 4.4 percent.

Diagnosed conditions among children

According to the NSCH, the federal survey on the health of children, 11 percent of children aged 3 to 17 had a current diagnosis of anxiety in 2023 and 2024, 8 percent a behavior disorder and 4 percent depression. ADHD remains the most common diagnosis: in 2024, 11.7 percent of children aged 3 to 17, about 7.1 million, had current ADHD, including 14.5 percent of boys and 8.8 percent of girls.

Among adolescents aged 12 to 17, diagnosed anxiety rose from 10.0 percent in 2016 to 16.1 percent in 2023 and depression from 5.8 to 8.4 percent, while behavior or conduct problems fell slightly from 7.3 to 6.3 percent. In total, 20.3 percent of adolescents, more than 5.3 million, had a current mental or behavioral condition in 2023. Parents increasingly report difficulty finding care: 61.0 percent of parents of diagnosed teens who needed care said it was hard to get in 2023, up from 45.3 percent in 2018.

Anxiety up 60 percent: Diagnosed anxiety among adolescents rose from 10.0 to 16.1 percent in seven years.

Psychiatric medication

The use of antidepressants among children has more than doubled. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the share of children aged 3 to 17 with a prescription for an SSRI, the most common type of antidepressant, rose from 1.5 percent in 2006 to 2.6 percent in 2017 and peaked at 3.8 percent in 2022, before dipping to 3.6 percent in 2023. Stimulant prescriptions, mostly for ADHD, were more stable at 5.3 percent in 2023. The use of antipsychotics fell slightly, from 1.3 to 1.1 percent. Drug use and its treatment are covered separately in our report on drug use in the US.

More than doubled: SSRI use among children rose from 1.5 percent in 2006 to 3.6 percent in 2023.

Mental health of high school students

The CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey, released for 2025 in September 2026, tracks how high school students feel. In 2025, 33 percent reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, down from 40 percent in 2023 and 42 percent in 2021. The share who seriously considered suicide fell from 22 percent in 2021 to 14 percent in 2025, and the share who attempted suicide from 10 to 6 percent. Girls remain far more affected: 43 percent of female students reported persistent sadness in 2025, compared with 24 percent of male students.

Improvement since 2021: Both measures are now back near or below their pre-pandemic levels.

Fewer students receive counseling than seem to need it. In 2025, 18.6 percent of high school students received counseling or therapy in the past year, and 15.4 percent said they needed it but did not get it. Among students with persistent sadness, only 29.6 percent received counseling, while 28.8 percent reported an unmet need. Asian and Black students with persistent sadness had the lowest rates of counseling, 15.7 and 15.4 percent. According to the same CDC report, about one in eight adolescents had used generative AI chatbots for mental health support.

What comes next

The latest data point to a turning point after years of worsening youth mental health, but the need for care remains high. Four in ten adolescents with depression still receive no treatment, parents report growing difficulty finding providers, and only about a third of facilities offer programs for children with serious emotional disturbance, as our report on mental health treatment facilities shows. Shortages of child and adolescent psychiatrists are covered in our report on the mental health workforce, and differences in access by income and insurance in our report on treatment disparities. The physical health of young Americans is covered in our report on child health and nutrition, and the global picture in our report on mental health worldwide.

Youth mental health treatment in numbers

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