Anxiety and Depression
Effective treatments exist: people with depression and anxiety should seek help as early as possible to reduce health effects and improve quality of life.
Depression and anxiety are two major causes of illness and death in the United States and are associated with reduced quality of life, social functioning, and excess disability. Psychiatric conditions such as depression can contribute to or worsen chronic diseases. Depression and anxiety frequently co-occur and when they do they have an even greater impact than when they occur alone.
In 2006, CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) introduced an optional module to measure Anxiety and Depression in the U.S. population. Thirty-five states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, conducted the survey.
In 2006,
- Approximately 15.7% of people reported being told by a health care provider that they had depression at some point in their lifetime; approximately 11.3% of people reported being told by a healthcare provider that they had anxiety at some point during their lifetime.
- Persons with current depression and a lifetime diagnosis of depression or anxiety were significantly more likely than persons without these conditions to have cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma, and obesity and to be a current smoker, to be physically inactive, and to drink heavily.
Current Depression Lifetime Diagnosis of Depression Lifetime Diagnosis of Anxiety Overall Population* CVD 15.1%12.4%13.0%8.2%Diabetes 12.9%11.6%10.9%8.2%Asthma 24.3%22.3%23.1%12.9%Obesity 35.2%32.8%30.5%24.8%Smoking 37.9%30.8%33.0%19.3%Physical Inactivity 43.0%30.6%29.0%24.3%Heavy Drinking 7.7%5.9%6.7%5.0%Source: BRFSS, 2006
*Overall population prevalence rates represent only the states that administered the Depression and Anxiety module in 2006. - Females were more likely to be diagnosed with depression (20.2% vs. 8.2%) and anxiety (14.3% vs. 8.2%) than were males.
- Non-Hispanic whites were most likely to have been diagnosed with depression (17.2%), but least likely to experience current depressive symptoms (8.0%).
- State prevalence of lifetime depression ranged from 8.8% to 21.3%. State prevalence of lifetime anxiety ranged from 8.0% to 16.1%
BRFSS (Behavioral Risk factor Surveillance System) is a state-based, random-digit-dialed, landline telephone survey of the U.S. Civilian noninstitutionalized population aged ≥18 years and is conducted in all 50 states, DC, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The following states participated in the 2006 Depression and Anxiety module: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
More Information
- CDC Mental Health Work Group
- CDC BRFSS site
- CDC Feature on Depression and Anxiety
- Depression is Not a Normal Part of Growing Older
- Self-Rated Depression and Physician-Diagnosed Depression and Anxiety in Florida Adults: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2006
- Depression, National Institute of Mental Health
- Anxiety Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health
