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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Increase the proportion of adolescents with depression who get treatment — MHMD‑06 Data Methodology and Measurement

This objective is a Leading Health Indicator (LHI). Learn about LHIs.

On this page:  About the National Data  |  Methodology  |  History

About the National Data

Data

Data Source:  National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), SAMHSA

Baseline: 40.0 percent of adolescents aged 12 to 17 years with MDEs received treatment in the past 12 months, as reported in 2021

Target: 44.9 percent

Numerator
Number of adolescents aged 12 to 17 years with a MDE within the past 12 months who received treatment.
Denominator
Number of adolescents aged 12 to 17 years with a MDE in the past 12 months.
Target-setting method
Percentage point improvement
Target-setting method details
Percentage point improvement from the baseline using Cohen's h effect size of 0.10.
1
Target-setting method justification
Trend data were evaluated for this objective, but it was not possible to project a target because the trend was flat. A percentage point improvement was calculated using Cohen's h effect size of 0.1. This method was used because it was a clinically meaningful improvement from the baseline.

Methodology

Questions used to obtain the national baseline data

(For additional information, please visit the data source page linked above.)

Please refer to the “Adolescent Depression” module of the “2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH): Final CAI Specifications for Programming” for baseline questions.

Methodology notes

Individuals were classified as having had a lifetime major depressive episode (MDE) if they reported in the adolescent depression sections of the questionnaire at least five or more of the following nine symptoms nearly every day (except where noted) in the same 2-week period in their lifetime, in which at least one of the symptoms was a depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities: (1) depressed mood most of the day; (2) markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all or almost all activities most of the day; (3) significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain or decrease or increase in appetite; (4) insomnia or hypersomnia; (5) psychomotor agitation or retardation; (6) fatigue or loss of energy; (7) feelings of worthlessness; (8) diminished ability to think or concentrate or indecisiveness; and (9) recurrent thoughts of death or recurrent suicide ideation. Unlike the other symptoms listed previously, recurrent thoughts of death or suicidal ideation did not need to have occurred nearly every day.

Respondents who have had an MDE in their lifetime are asked if, during the past 12 months, they had a period of depression lasting 2 weeks or longer while also having some of the other symptoms mentioned.

This definition is based on the definition found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5). Individuals were classified as having an MDE in the past year if they (1) had a lifetime MDE, (2) had a period of time in the past 12 months when they felt depressed or lost interest or pleasure in daily activities for 2 weeks or longer, and (3) reported during this period of 2 weeks or longer in the past 12 months they had “some of the other problems” they reported for a lifetime MDE. Consistent with the DSM-5 criteria, NSDUH does not exclude MDEs that occurred exclusively in the context of bereavement.

Treatment for depression was defined based on questions in the adult depression sections of the questionnaire as seeing or talking to a professional or using prescription medication in the past year for depression.

History

Revision History
Revised. 

In 2024, due to the NSDUH adopting a multimode data collection method in 2021, the baseline was revised from 41.4% in 2018 to 40.0% in 2021. The target was revised from 46.4% to 44.9% using the original target setting method.

1. Effect size h=0.1 was chosen to correspond with 10% improvement from a baseline of 50%.