About one in five U.S. adults ages 18 to 29 reported frequent mental distress in 2024, up from about one in eight in 2012, according to a CDC report published Thursday. The share rose from 12.7% to 21.3% over that period, though it has declined for two years in a row since peaking in 2022.
Frequent mental distress means a person reported that their mental health, including stress, depression and problems with emotions, was not good on 14 or more of the past 30 days. It is not a diagnosis, and the data are self-reported.
