Depression Among Teens

Female students and lesbian, gay, and bisexual students were much more likely to experience symptoms of depression than the King County average. 

In a survey of Washington public school students, 8th, 10th, and 12th graders were asked about whether, at any time in the past year, they had felt so sad or hopeless almost every day for at least two weeks in a row that they stopped doing some usual activities. Having these feelings consistently can be an indication of depression, a common, serious and treatable disorder. Combining responses from 2018 and 2021, 34.6% of students in King County experienced these symptoms in the past year.  

• Gender: At 42.0%, female students were more likely than male students (25.7%) to experience symptoms of depression. Students who identified as transgender (67.3%) and something else (67.0%) and who were questioning their gender (62.9%) were almost twice as likely as King County average to experience depressive symptoms.

• Sexual orientation: At 60.0%, lesbian, gay, and bisexual students were almost twice as likely to experience depressive symptoms as the county average. Students who responded that they were “not sure” of their sexual orientation were also more likely than the county average to experience depressive symptoms, at 46.9%.    

• Place: South Region students were most likely to experience symptoms of depression at 38.3%, which was higher than each of the other regions. Seattle, North and East region rates of student depression ranged from 30.1% to 34.6%.  

• Grade level: The percent of students experiencing symptoms of depression increased with grade level, ranging from 28.7% of 8th graders to 39.6% of 12th graders.  

• Race and ethnicity: Many students of color, including Hispanic/Latino (41.0%) and Multiple Race (40.9%) students, were more likely to experience symptoms of depression than the King County average. Asian students (30.6%) were less likely than the King County average to experience symptoms of depression. However, there were differences among Asian students by ethnic group, with students identifying as Filipino (42.2%) having higher rates than the county average and students identifying as Indian (26.2%) and Chinese (28.9%) having lower rates of depressive symptoms than the county average. There are numerous factors that impact mental health and emotional wellbeing in BIPOC communities. For further reading on this topic please see: Inside the pandemic: Two mental health workers and community volunteers discuss how cultural experiences and racial trauma affect mental health in BIPOC communities.

• Trends: Rates of teen depression increased countywide between 2004 and 2021.  The increase between 2008 (24.2%) and 2021 (36.4%)—was responsible for the overall upward trend. An unusually high rate in 2004 (30.12%) may have been a chance finding. Recently, youth and young adults have experienced many disruptions due to COVID-19 and associated mitigation strategies. These include school closures and remote learning, social isolation, family financial hardship, and for some, the illness or death of a family member due to COVID-19. From 2018 to 2021 rates of teen depression have increased countywide from 32.9% to 36.4%. Several student groups showed substantial increases in rates of depression from 2018 to 2021, including female students, 12th graders, Asian students, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students, Multiple Race students, white students and students in Seattle.

Additional Resources and Reading on this topic:  

• Mental Health Among Youth and Young Adults in King County, WA: January 2019-October 2021 

• King County Middle School Youth Share Their Experiences and Perspectives on Emotional Safety and Well-being at School