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 CitationSubstance
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.
