Fewer American adolescents are experiencing major depressive episodes than in previous years. However, many of those who do have major depressive episodes do not receive treatment.
Four and a half million young people aged 12 to 17 faced a major depressive episode in 2023, a decrease of approximately 13% since 2021, according to new data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Approximately 40% of these adolescents did not receive treatment for their mental health conditions.
Of the young people with a major depressive episode who did not receive mental health treatment, almost 8% sought treatment but failed to get it. About a third of these adolescents thought they needed treatment but did not seek it out.
Many companies in the behavioral health industry that target youth populations to bridge this treatment gap are growing their businesses.
For example, digital mental health provider Backpack Health offers virtual therapy, psychiatry and medication management for children and teens. In May, the company raised $14 million in a Series A round.
Hybrid mental health startup Blackbird Health raised $17 million in its Series A round in February. The provider offers mental health and autism care for children and young adults aged 2 to 26.
Mental health provider matching company Headway’s founder, Jake Sussman, recently launched a new business focused on youth populations called Marble, which provides virtual therapy for teens by working with schools to refer young people to care.
Mental health conditions are not the only concern for young people. Adolescents who experienced a major depressive episode were also more likely to use illicit drugs.
Approximately 28% of adolescents who had a major depressive episode used illicit drugs in the past year, more than double the 11.6% of adolescents who did not have a major depressive episode but still used illicit drugs.
Approximately 2.2 million adolescents reported having a substance use disorder (SUD) in the last year.
While 856,000 adolescents reported experiencing both major depressive episodes and SUD, over 70% of these adolescents reported getting treatment for only one of their conditions. Almost 29% received treatment for neither condition.
Mental health care was far more common among this population than SUD care. Of those who received treatment for only one of their diagnoses, almost 70% only received mental health treatment.
Providers like Newport Healthcare are increasingly focusing on SUD treatment for teens. Newport created SUD-specific programs for teens, young people and their families in May.
In July 2023, digital behavioral health provider Pelago branched out to treat teens aged 15 and up for SUDs.
