As income inequality continues to soar in the United States, researchers are working to more comprehensively measure the relationship between capitalism and declining mental health – an effort that experts say could help policymakers develop more effective solutions to the widespread mental health struggles plaguing Americans.
Americans’ collective mental health has been worsening for years. In 2023, the White House said the nation faced “a mental health crisis,” with 40% of U.S. adults having experienced depression or anxiety in 2021. That year, Gallup estimated that 22% of Americans experienced depression or anxiety severe enough to disrupt daily activities for two weeks or longer. Roughly a third of adolescents in the U.S. have an anxiety disorder, and in 2023, nearly one in five U.S. teens experienced a major depressive episode.
