There's no question the pandemic took a toll on mental health. According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1 in 5 U.S. adults reported having or receiving a diagnosis of depression in 2020.
The study didn't look at what what was causing the patient's depression. Instead, it focused on the prevalence of depression in certain groups and regions.
People ages 18 to 24 years old were more likely to be diagnosed with depression, according to the study. Depression was also more common among women and people with lower education levels.
The report noted higher rates of depression were found in the Appalachian region, which consists of West Virginia and parts of Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee. Higher rates of depression were also detected in the southern Mississippi Valley, which includes parts of Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana.
Depression isn't just a mental health issue. The CDC notes that it's a comorbidity for many chronic diseases, including diabetes, arthritis and heart disease.
The study notes that some parts of the country had lower rates of depression than the national average of 18%.
They included California, Florida and Illinois, which were all around 14%. Hawaii had the lowest prevalence of depression at 12%.
