First national anxiety data find half of affected US teens get no care

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

About one in six US adolescents reports moderate to severe anxiety, and only half of them receive any mental health care. The data come from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which for the first time asked Americans aged 12 to 20 about anxiety.

The survey of 15,730 adolescents gives the country its first national baseline for teen anxiety. Girls report anxiety at nearly three times the rate of boys. Teen boys, racial and ethnic minorities, and the uninsured are the least likely to get help, and anxiety tracks with depression, suicidal thoughts, and substance use.

Why it matters

Half of US teens with moderate or severe anxiety get no mental health care; a new national survey will now track whether that gap narrows.

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Key Indicators

50%

Anxious teens receiving mental health care

Only half of US adolescents with moderate or severe anxiety symptoms got any mental health support.

15,730

Adolescents surveyed on anxiety

Respondents aged 12 to 20 who answered the first-ever anxiety module of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

61%

Rise in diagnosed anxiety, 2016–2023

Diagnosed anxiety among US adolescents aged 12 to 17 climbed from 10.0% to 16.1% over the period, per the National Survey of Children's Health.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

Ever wondered what historical figures would say about today's headlines?

People Involved

T. Greg Rhee

Lead author, JAMA Pediatrics study; psychiatric epidemiologist at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine

Analyzing the first national adolescent anxiety data from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health

Organizations Involved

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Federal agency

Administers the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which added adolescent anxiety questions in 2024

The federal agency that runs the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the annual survey behind the new anxiety data.

JAMA Pediatrics

Peer-reviewed medical journal

Published the first analysis of national adolescent anxiety data on October 12, 2026

A monthly peer-reviewed journal of the American Medical Association focused on child and adolescent health.

University of Connecticut

Public research university

Home institution of the study's lead author

The public research university whose psychiatric epidemiologist led the analysis of the first national adolescent anxiety data.

Timeline

2016 October 2026

6 events Latest: 3 days ago

Tap a bar to jump to that date

October 2026
JAMA Pediatrics publishes analysis of the first anxiety data
Latest Publication

A University of Connecticut study reports high anxiety prevalence and that only half of affected teens receive mental health care.
3 days ago
2026
SAMHSA releases first national adolescent anxiety data
Release

The 2024 survey wave data from 15,730 adolescents become available, establishing a national anxiety baseline.
2026
2024
National drug use survey adds adolescent anxiety questions
Measurement

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health asks Americans aged 12 to 20 about anxiety for the first time.
2024
2023
Anxiety now diagnosed in 16.1% of US adolescents
Measurement

National Survey of Children's Health finds diagnosed anxiety among 12-to-17-year-olds reached 16.1%, up from 10.0% in 2016.
2023
October 2021
Pediatric groups declare national emergency in child mental health
Policy

The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Children's Hospital Association warn of a mental health crisis in youth.
October 19th, 2021
2016
Diagnosed anxiety measured at 10% of US children
Measurement

National Survey of Children's Health data mark the start of a sharp rise in diagnosed pediatric anxiety.
2016

Scenarios

HHS launches federal program to expand teen anxiety screening

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: The American Academy of Pediatrics already recommends routine anxiety screening for patients 12 and older; CDC runs a public Mental Health Data Channel showing the monitoring infrastructure now exists.

With a national baseline now in hand, federal agencies could fund screening or treatment expansion. A push would most likely run through SAMHSA or the Health Resources and Services Administration, with school-based programs as the delivery channel.

Year-two survey shows the half-treated rate holds steady

Possible Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: The JAMA Pediatrics authors noted the 2024 data is a single snapshot; the survey runs annually, so the 2025 wave will show whether the treatment rate shifts.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health now asks anxiety questions every year. If the 2025 wave, expected from SAMHSA in late 2027 or 2028, still shows roughly half of anxious teens untreated, the baseline holds and the demographic gaps persist.

States mandate school-based mental health screening

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: KFF research shows about 3 in 10 youth with a past-year major depressive episode get care through school services, making schools a prime policy target.

State legislatures may respond to the data by mandating or funding school-based adolescent screening and counseling. That would narrow the access gap where treatment is currently hardest to reach, notably among boys and racial and ethnic minorities.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

December 1999

Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health (1999)

The first comprehensive federal appraisal of mental health in America found most people with diagnosable mental disorders received no treatment in the prior year. It documented wide gaps in care across age groups.

Then

The report pushed mental health onto the public agenda and helped build support for parity in insurance coverage.

Now

It set a national expectation that treatment gaps should be measured and closed.

Why this matters now

The 2024 survey repeats the same finding at national scale for teens: most anxious adolescents do not get care. The measurement gap the 1999 report flagged is the one the new anxiety data now tracks year to year.

2001–2004

National Comorbidity Survey Adolescent Supplement (2001–2004)

The first national survey of adolescent mental disorders in the US found that a majority of teens with diagnosable conditions had not received treatment, with access especially poor among racial and ethnic minorities.

Then

The data shaped child mental health research and advocacy for two decades.

Now

It was the last comprehensive national look at teen mental disorders until now.

Why this matters now

Racial and ethnic disparities in care found in that survey match the 2024 data. The new NSDUH anxiety module gives researchers the first annual national instrument to track whether those gaps change.

October 2021

Pediatric groups declare national emergency (2021)

The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Children's Hospital Association jointly declared a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health, citing rising emergency visits and suicide attempts among youth.

Then

The declaration brought media and policy attention to the youth mental health crisis.

Now

It set the stage for the monitoring the 2024 survey now provides.

Why this matters now

The emergency declaration was based on regional and clinical data. The first national anxiety survey gives the country a way to verify and track the crisis it warned about.