‭ een Depression Rose Sharply During the Pandemic, but Treatment Didn’t Follow‬

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‭The News‬
‭Approximately 20 percent of adolescents had symptoms of major depressive disorder in 2021 — the first‬
‭full calendar year of the pandemic — but less than half who needed treatment received it,‬‭according‬‭to a‬
‭new study‬‭.‬

‭ he research, published in JAMA Pediatrics, found that treatment was most lacking for minority‬
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‭adolescents, particularly those who are Latino and mixed-race.‬
‭Image‬

‭ redit...‬
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‭Christopher Capozziello for The New York Times‬

‭ ackground: Depression was already on the rise‬

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‭Major depressive disorder is a chronic condition that surfaces in episodes of‬‭depressed mood and loss of‬
‭joy, with symptoms lasting at least two weeks‬‭. It‬‭is distinct from persistent depressive disorder, in which‬
‭symptoms last two years or more.‬

‭ revious research‬‭showed that the prevalence of major‬‭depressive disorder among adolescents nearly‬
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‭doubled recently, rising to 15.8 percent in 2019 from 8.1 percent in 2009. The Covid-19 pandemic‬
‭amplified this trend as it caused isolation, uncertainty, loneliness and fear of illness among family‬
‭members.‬

‭The Findings: Treatment gaps persist, especially for minority teens‬

‭ he new study on the prevalence of major depressive disorder in 2021 drew from a nationally‬
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‭representative sample of 10,700 adolescents, ages 12 to 17, whose experiences were recorded by the‬
‭National Survey on Drug Use and Health.‬

‭ he study found some sharp differences in the prevalence of the condition across racial and ethnic‬
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‭groups. About 14.5 percent of Black adolescents, 14.6 percent of Asian adolescents and 20 percent of‬
‭white adolescents reported symptoms of major depressive disorder. Latino adolescents experienced‬
‭major depressive disorder at a slightly higher rate, around 23 percent.‬

‭ hough mixed-race and Latino adolescents had the highest rates of major depressive disorder, they had‬
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‭the lowest rates of treatment, the study found. Twenty-one percent of mixed-race adolescents and 29‬
‭percent of Latino adolescents with the condition received treatment for it, compared with nearly half of‬
‭white adolescents. Treatment rates for Asian and Black adolescents fell in between.‬

‭ he study overlaps with previous research that found that adolescents from racial and ethnic minorities‬
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‭had‬‭fewer treatment options‬‭than their white peers‬‭did, with the most glaring gaps for teens living in‬
‭lower-income communities.‬

‭ hat’s Next: Addressing the inequities‬

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‭The authors of the study called for policymakers to recognize the inequities in treatment that were‬
‭“highlighted” by the pandemic. “As we move forward,” they concluded in the paper, “policy and clinical‬
‭efforts should target adolescents as a whole and marginalized populations in particular, to ensure timely‬
‭access to high-quality mental health treatment.”‬
‭ araphrased version:‬
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‭Title: Depression among teenagers has increased significantly during the epidemic, but treatment has not‬
‭stopped‬
‭News‬
‭About 20% of teens had symptoms of major depressive disorder in 2021 — the first full calendar year of‬
‭the epidemic — but less than half of those who sought treatment received it, according to a new study.‬
‭The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, found that treatment is most rare for teenagers, especially‬
‭Latino and mixed race. Photo‬

‭ ackground: Depression is on the rise‬

B
‭Major depressive disorder is a chronic illness that causes a state of depression and joylessness, with‬
‭symptoms lasting at least two weeks. It is different from persistent depression, symptoms that last for two‬
‭years or more.‬
‭Previous studies have shown that the prevalence of depression among young people has almost doubled‬
‭recently, from 8.1% in 2009 to 15.8% in 2019. The pandemic of Covid-19 has increased this practice by‬
‭causing isolation, uncertainty, loneliness and fear of disease among family members.‬
‭The findings: treatment gaps continue, especially for minority youth‬
‭A new study on the prevalence of major depression in 2021 used a nationally representative sample of‬
‭10,700 teenagers, aged 12 to 17, who recorded their experiences in the National Depressive Disorder‬
‭Survey. The study found disparities in the prevalence of the disease across racial and ethnic groups.‬
‭About 14.5 percent of black teens, 14.6 percent of Asian teens, and 20 percent of teens reported‬
‭symptoms of major depressive disorder. Latino teens have a higher rate of depression, about 23 percent.‬
‭Although racial and Latino youth have the highest rates of depression, they have the lowest rates of‬
‭treatment, the study found. 21 percent of teens and 29 percent of Latino teens with the disease received‬
‭treatment, compared to nearly half of those age ten and ten. Treatment rates for Asians and blacks fall in‬
‭the middle. The study echoes previous research that found that racial and ethnic minorities have fewer‬
‭treatment options than their white peers, with the largest gaps among adolescents living and low-income‬
‭communities.‬
‭Next: Talking about anonymity‬
‭The authors called on policymakers to understand the inequities in treatment presented by the epidemic.‬
‭"Moving forward," they concluded in the paper, "strategies and clinical efforts should support adolescents‬
‭in general and those who are marginalized, to ensure access to treatment Mental health is at its peak at‬
‭the moment."‬