Combined 2004 and 2005 data indicate
that 8.88 percent of youths aged 12 to
17 and 7.65 percent of adults aged 18 or
older experienced at least one major
depressive episode (MDE) in the past
year
Among 12 to 17 year olds, rates of past
year MDE were among the highest in Idaho
(10.37 percent) and Nevada (10.28
percent) and among the lowest in
Louisiana (7.19 percent) and South
Dakota (7.40 percent)
Rates of past year MDE among adults aged
18 or older were among the highest in
Utah (10.14 percent) and Rhode Island
(9.88 percent) and among the lowest in
Hawaii (6.74 percent) and New Jersey
(6.81 percent)
Depression is an ongoing public
health concern in America.1
State estimates of past year major depressive episode
(MDE) are now available from the National Survey on Drug
Use and Health (NSDUH). These estimates provide
information about the prevalence of MDE in each State
based on standard definitions and survey methods applied
uniformly throughout the Nation.
NSDUH includes questions for persons
aged 12 or older to assess lifetime and past year MDE.
For these estimates, MDE is defined using the diagnostic
criteria set forth by the 4th edition of the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM-IV),2
which specifies a period of 2 weeks or longer during
which there is either depressed mood or loss of interest
or pleasure and at least four other symptoms that
reflect a change in functioning, such as problems with
sleep, eating, energy, concentration, and self-image.3
This issue of The NSDUH Report
uses data from the combined 2004 and 2005 surveys to
present State estimates of past year MDE. Estimates are
presented separately for youths aged 12 to 17 and adults
aged 18 or older.4
Estimates are based on a small area estimation
methodology in which State-level NSDUH data are combined
with local-area county and census block
group/tract-level data from the State. This model-based
methodology provides more precise estimates than those
based solely on the sample, particularly for smaller
States. The data for this report are extracted from a
more extensive report that includes State-level
estimates of past year substance use, substance use
disorders, and serious psychological distress.5
State Estimates of Past Year Major
Depressive Episode among Youths Aged 12 to 17
Combined 2004 and 2005 data indicate that 8.88
percent of youths aged 12 to 17 experienced at least one
MDE in the past year. There were few significant
differences in the rates of past year MDE among youths
across States. Among 12 to 17 year olds, rates of past
year MDE were among the highest in Idaho (10.37 percent)
and Nevada (10.28 percent) and among the lowest in
Louisiana (7.19 percent) and South Dakota (7.40
percent). Figure 1 shows State differences in the rates
of past year MDE among youths aged 12 to 17. States with
the highest estimates fall in the top quintile (fifth)
and are shown in red. States with the lowest estimates
are in the bottom quintile and are shown in dark blue.
Figure 1. Percentages
of Past Year Major Depressive Episode among
Youths Aged 12 to 17, by State: 2004 and 2005
Figure 1
Table. Percentages of Past Year Major Depressive
Episode among Youths Aged 12 to 17, by State:
2004 and 2005
State
Percent
Total
8.88%
Alabama
8.88%
Alaska
9.22%
Arizona
9.43%
Arkansas
8.68%
California
8.82%
Colorado
9.73%
Connecticut
10.15%
Delaware
8.87%
District of Columbia
7.95%
Florida
8.89%
Georgia
7.71%
Hawaii
8.78%
Idaho
10.37%
Illinois
8.29%
Indiana
8.80%
Iowa
8.01%
Kansas
8.26%
Kentucky
9.66%
Louisiana
7.19%
Maine
10.08%
Maryland
8.51%
Massachusetts
8.94%
Michigan
9.05%
Minnesota
8.92%
Mississippi
8.26%
Missouri
8.80%
Montana
8.75%
Nebraska
9.12%
Nevada
10.28%
New Hampshire
9.72%
New Jersey
8.19%
New Mexico
9.18%
New York
9.17%
North Carolina
8.99%
North Dakota
8.86%
Ohio
8.54%
Oklahoma
9.10%
Oregon
9.28%
Pennsylvania
9.00%
Rhode Island
9.26%
South Carolina
8.40%
South Dakota
7.40%
Tennessee
9.15%
Texas
8.76%
Utah
10.14%
Vermont
8.46%
Virginia
9.33%
Washington
9.84%
West Virginia
8.60%
Wisconsin
9.40%
Wyoming
9.15%
Source:
SAMHSA, 2004 and 2005 NSDUHs.
State Estimates of Past Year Major Depressive Episode
among Adults Aged 18 or Older
Combined 2004 and 2005 data indicate that 7.65
percent of adults aged 18 or older experienced at least
one MDE in the past year. As was true for rates of past
year MDE among youths, there were few significant
differences in rates of past year MDE among adults
across States. Rates of past year MDE among adults aged
18 or older were among the highest in Utah (10.14
percent) and Rhode Island (9.88 percent) and among the
lowest in Hawaii (6.74 percent) and New Jersey (6.81
percent) (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Percentages
of Past Year Major Depressive Episode among
Persons Aged 18 or Older, by State: 2004 and
2005
Figure 2
Table. Percentages of Past Year Major Depressive
Episode among Persons Aged 18 or Older, by
State: 2004 and 2005
State
Percent
Total
7.65%
Alabama
7.39%
Alaska
7.22%
Arizona
7.38%
Arkansas
8.39%
California
6.88%
Colorado
9.42%
Connecticut
9.17%
Delaware
7.55%
District of Columbia
9.01%
Florida
6.98%
Georgia
7.96%
Hawaii
6.74%
Idaho
8.47%
Illinois
7.13%
Indiana
8.90%
Iowa
7.35%
Kansas
8.22%
Kentucky
8.53%
Louisiana
7.03%
Maine
8.98%
Maryland
6.99%
Massachusetts
7.75%
Michigan
7.40%
Minnesota
7.16%
Mississippi
7.76%
Missouri
8.60%
Montana
9.28%
Nebraska
7.92%
Nevada
9.80%
New Hampshire
7.18%
New Jersey
6.81%
New Mexico
8.37%
New York
7.34%
North Carolina
7.65%
North Dakota
7.32%
Ohio
9.00%
Oklahoma
7.98%
Oregon
9.52%
Pennsylvania
7.30%
Rhode Island
9.88%
South Carolina
7.70%
South Dakota
7.31%
Tennessee
8.25%
Texas
7.04%
Utah
10.14%
Vermont
8.00%
Virginia
7.39%
Washington
7.86%
West Virginia
9.48%
Wisconsin
8.41%
Wyoming
9.30%
Source:
SAMHSA, 2004 and 2005 NSDUHs.
End Notes
1 Kessler, R.C., Berglund, P.,
Demler, O., Jin, R., Koretz, D., Merikangas, K.R., Rush,
A.J., Walters, E.E., & Wang, P.S. (2003). The
epidemiology of major depressive disorder: Results from
the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R).
Journal of the American Medical Association,
289(23):3095-3105.
2 American Psychiatric
Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical
manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington,
DC: Author.
3 In assessing MDE, no
exclusions were made for MDE caused by medical illness,
bereavement, or substance use disorders.
4 Because of differences in
wording in the questions used to assess MDE among youths
aged 12 to 17 and adults aged 18 or older, data from
youths were not combined with data from adults to obtain
an overall estimate for persons aged 12 or older.
5 State-level estimates for 2004
and 2005 are available in the following report: Wright,
D., Sathe, N., & Spagnola, K. (2007). State
estimates of substance use from the 2004-2005 National
Surveys on Drug Use and Health (DHHS Publication
No. SMA 07-4235, NSDUH Series H-31). Rockville, MD:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration, Office of Applied Studies. [Available at
http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/states.htm
and
http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/statesIndex.htm#2k5]
Suggested Citation
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration, Office of Applied Studies. (June 11,
2007). The NSDUH Report: State Estimates of
Depression: 2004 and 2005. Rockville, MD.
The National
Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is an
annual survey sponsored by the Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA). Prior to 2002, this survey was called
the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse
(NHSDA). The 2004 and 2005 prevalence rates used
in this report are based on small area
estimation procedures that combine State-level
NSDUH data with a national model. In 2004, a
split-sample design was implemented where adults
aged 18 or older in half of the sample received
the depression module while respondents in the
other half did not. NSDUH data were obtained
from 44,835 persons aged 12 to 17 and 68,599
persons aged 18 or older. The survey collects
data by administering questionnaires to a
representative sample of the population through
face-to-face interviews at their place of
residence.
The NSDUH Report is prepared by the
Office of Applied Studies (OAS), SAMHSA, and by
RTI International in Research Triangle Park,
North Carolina. (RTI International is a trade
name of Research Triangle Institute.)
Information on NSDUH used in compiling data for
this report is available in the following
publications:
Office of Applied Studies. (2006). Results
from the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and
Health: National findings (DHHS Publication
No. SMA 06-4194, NSDUH Series H-30). Rockville,
MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration.
Office of Applied Studies. (2005). Results
from the 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and
Health: National findings (DHHS Publication
No. SMA 05-4062, NSDUH Series H-28). Rockville,
MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration.
Because of improvements and modifications to the
2002 NSDUH, estimates from the 2002, 2003, 2004,
and 2005 surveys should not be compared with
estimates from the 2001 or earlier versions of
the survey to examine changes over time.
The NSDUH Report
(formerly The NHSDA Report) is
published periodically by the Office of Applied
Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA).
All material appearing in this report is in the
public domain and may be reproduced or copied
without permission from SAMHSA.
Additional copies of this report or other
reports from the Office of Applied Studies are
available online:
http://www.oas.samhsa.gov. Citation of the
source is appreciated. For questions about this
report, please e-mail:
shortreports@samhsa.hhs.gov.
