National data show high rates of anxiety in adolescents

Anxiety in teenagers is widespread in the U.S., and many teens aren’t getting adequate mental health care for it, reports University of Connecticut psychiatric epidemiologist T. Greg Rhee in the Oct. 12 issue of JAMA Pediatrics.

Anxiety is a heavy psychiatric burden on U.S. adolescents. Anecdotes and regional data indicate that many teens show symptoms of anxiety, and it’s also known that many teens who need mental health support aren’t getting it. But until recently, there was no national survey tracking it. Now there is.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health began asking adolescents ages 12 to 20 about anxiety in 2024; those first data just became available this year, and they confirm that anxiety is prevalent.

“Prevalent, meaning it’s quite common. It’s problematic,” says Rhee. He says the survey shows that a significant number of the 15,730 adolescents who responded reported moderate to severe anxiety symptoms.

Girls were more likely to experience moderate to severe anxiety than boys—about 17% of girls reported moderate anxiety, and 11% reported severe anxiety symptoms, versus 6% and 4%, respectively, of boys. The survey also shows that greater levels of reported anxiety were associated with higher levels of depression, suicidal thoughts and substance use.

Teens with anxiety are not getting enough help, either. The survey reports that only half of adolescents with moderate or severe anxiety symptoms were getting mental health support. Males, racial and ethnic minorities and the uninsured were less likely to get mental health help than others.

Since this was the first time the survey asked about anxiety, it’s just a snapshot in time of a single group of adolescents. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health is given annually, so future years should show a more complete picture of anxiety in teens and how it affects other aspects of mental health over time.

“We need to see if anxiety plays a protective or an adverse role in social development and health,” Rhee says.

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