Child mental health includes both challenges and strengths. Recent U.S. CDC data show that many young children display affection, curiosity, positivity, and resilience, while diagnosed conditions, emotional distress, unmet care needs, and suicide risk remain important concerns. The figures below are reported for specific age groups and periods, so they should not be treated as one single time series.
Contents
- Flourishing in early childhood
- Flourishing among school-age children
- Diagnosed conditions
- Adolescent emotional distress and suicide risk
- Substance use and mental health care
- Support, activity, and coping
- Earlier surveillance and demographic differences
Flourishing in early childhood
Flourishing indicators describe positive social-emotional characteristics rather than the absence of a diagnosis. In 2022–2023, nearly 4 out of 5 children ages 6 months to 5 years, or 78%, exhibited all four measured flourishing indicators, according to the CDC Data and Statistics on Children’s Mental Health.
The individual indicators were common. In the same 2022–2023 period, 96% of children ages 6 months to 5 years usually or always were affectionate and tender with parents or caregivers. Another 82% usually or always bounced back quickly when things did not go their way. Curiosity was reported for 95%, who usually or always showed interest in learning new things. Smiling and laughter were reported for 99%.
These measures use different behaviors to describe early development. Affection reflects relationships with caregivers; resilience reflects recovery after disappointment; curiosity reflects engagement with learning; and smiling or laughter reflects positivity. The percentages are not measures of treatment need and do not establish that every child with a mental health condition lacks flourishing characteristics.
Earlier CDC surveillance provides another reference point, but it covers a different period and survey framework. In NSCH 2018–2019, 97.3% of children ages 6 months to 5 years usually or always showed affection, 89.8% showed resilience, and 99.0% showed positivity. In that same surveillance period, 91.3% of children ages 6 months to 17 years usually or always showed curiosity.
Flourishing among school-age children
Among children ages 6 to 17 years, 60% exhibited all three flourishing indicators in 2022–2023, according to the CDC Data and Statistics on Children’s Mental Health. The component measures were 83% for usually or always showing interest and curiosity in learning new things, 72% for staying calm and in control when facing a challenge, and 80% for working to finish tasks they started.
The measures separate curiosity, self-control, and persistence. A child may show one strength more consistently than another, so the combined 60% figure should not be used as a substitute for the individual results.
For comparison, CDC NSCH 2018–2019 surveillance reported that 84.5% of children ages 6 to 17 usually or always showed persistence and 76.8% usually or always showed self-control. These earlier figures are not direct trend estimates against 2022–2023 because the periods and reporting context differ.
Some 2018–2019 results describe differences across groups. Among children ages 6 months to 5 years, 69.4% of those at or below 100% of the federal poverty level usually or always showed self-control. Resilience was reported for 93.7% of White, non-Hispanic children and 79.3% of Asian, non-Hispanic children in that age range. Among children ages 6 to 17 years, 85.7% of Asian, non-Hispanic children usually or always showed self-control. Self-control was reported for 68.6% of children with public insurance and 80.3% with private insurance.
Diagnosed conditions
Diagnosis statistics capture conditions identified by a health care provider, while symptom surveys measure experiences during a specified period. In 2021, nearly 1 in 5 children ages 3 to 17 years, or 21%, had ever been diagnosed with a mental, emotional, or behavioral health condition, according to the CDC Data and Statistics on Children’s Mental Health.
For 2022–2023, current diagnosed anxiety affected 11% of children ages 3 to 17 years. The reported rate was 9% for males and 12% for females. Current diagnosed behavior disorders affected 8% overall, including 10% of males and 5% of females. Current diagnosed depression affected 4% overall, including 3% of males and 6% of females.
| Measure | Population and period | Reported share |
|---|---|---|
| Any diagnosed mental, emotional, or behavioral condition | Ages 3–17, 2021 | 21% |
| Current diagnosed anxiety | Ages 3–17, 2022–2023 | 11% |
| Current diagnosed behavior disorder | Ages 3–17, 2022–2023 | 8% |
| Current diagnosed depression | Ages 3–17, 2022–2023 | 4% |
| Anxiety symptoms in the past two weeks | Ages 12–17, 2021–2023 | 20% |
| Depression symptoms in the past two weeks | Ages 12–17, 2021–2023 | 18% |
The final two rows refer to symptoms reported in the past two weeks, not necessarily diagnosed conditions. In 2021–2023, 20% of adolescents ages 12 to 17 reported anxiety symptoms and 18% reported depression symptoms. Because diagnosis and symptom measures answer different questions, their percentages should not be directly added or ranked as equivalent outcomes.
Adolescent emotional distress and suicide risk
CDC data for U.S. high school students in 2023 show several measures of serious emotional distress and suicide-related risk. Forty percent reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Twenty percent seriously considered attempting suicide, 16% made a suicide plan, and 9% attempted suicide.
These figures describe high school students in 2023, whereas the adolescent symptom estimates above cover ages 12 to 17 in 2021–2023. The populations and measurement windows are different. A report of sadness or hopelessness is also not the same measure as a suicide attempt, plan, or consideration.
The sequence of percentages gives context to the four indicators without implying that one group is a subset of another in a way that permits unsupported calculations. Persistent sadness or hopelessness was the most frequently reported measure at 40%, followed by seriously considering an attempt at 20%, making a plan at 16%, and attempting suicide at 9%.
Substance use and mental health care
The CDC Data and Statistics on Children’s Mental Health reports substance-use measures for U.S. high school students in 2023. Twenty-two percent reported drinking alcohol in the past 30 days, 17% reported using marijuana in the past 30 days, and 4% reported misusing prescription pain medication in the past 30 days. Ten percent reported ever using illicit drugs.
Care and treatment measures for U.S. adolescents cover 2021–2023. Fifty-five percent reported discussing their mental and emotional health with a health care professional in the past 12 months. Sixteen percent reported taking any prescription medication to help with emotions, concentration, behavior, or mental health during that period. Twenty percent reported receiving mental health therapy, and 20% reported having unmet mental health care needs.
The care figures are not interchangeable. Discussion with a professional, prescription medication, therapy, and unmet need represent separate experiences. In particular, the 20% reporting unmet needs should not be interpreted as the percentage receiving no care, because the supplied measure does not define all other forms of support or access.
Earlier CDC surveillance also reported treatment estimates with different periods and methods. In NSCH 2016–2019, 14.3% of children ages 12 to 17 received mental health treatment from a professional. In NSDUH 2018–2019, 25.9% of adolescents ages 12 to 17 reported receiving mental health services. In NSCH 2016–2019, 7.8% of children and adolescents ages 3 to 17 had taken medication because of difficulties with emotions, concentration, or behavior in the past 12 months. NHANES 2013–2018 reported that 6.6% used a psychotropic medication in the past 30 days.
Support, activity, and coping
Social relationships are another part of the CDC’s 2021–2023 adolescent measures. Among adolescents ages 12 to 17, 58% reported always or usually receiving social and emotional support. Forty-nine percent reported receiving peer support a lot of the time, while 66% reported receiving parent support a lot of the time. Seventy-nine percent reported having at least one adult in their life who made a positive difference.
The same data describe selected activities and coping practices. Sixty-one percent reported being physically active for at least an hour most days, 36% reported strength training most days, and 60% reported playing on a sports team in the past year. Twenty-eight percent reported meditating in the past year, and 21% reported practicing yoga.
These are reported behaviors and supports, not proof that an activity caused better mental health. They can, however, help describe the settings in which adolescents experience connection, routine, adult support, or strategies for managing emotions.
Earlier surveillance and demographic differences
CDC surveillance from earlier periods shows why dates, definitions, and data sources matter. In 2011–2012, more than 1 in 20 U.S. children ages 6 to 17, or 2.6 million children, had current anxiety or depression previously diagnosed by a health care provider. The same source reported anxiety in 1 in 24 children and depression in 1 in 37 children in 2011–2012. For comparison, anxiety was reported as 1 in 28 children in 2007. About 1 in 5 children with current anxiety and depression did not receive mental health treatment in the past year in 2011–2012.
The CDC Mental Health Surveillance Among Children reports several estimates from 2016–2019 and nearby surveillance periods. Approximately 2% of children ages 3 to 5 had ever received a diagnosis of ADHD, anxiety, or ASD in 2017–2018 or 2016–2019 surveillance data, while approximately 5% had ever received a diagnosis of behavior problems. For ASD specifically, current diagnosis was 2.9% among children and adolescents ages 3 to 17 in NSCH 2016–2019 and 2.0% in NHIS 2017–2018. The ADDM Network reported that 1.9% of children age 8 met its ASD surveillance case definition in 2016.
Behavioral and conduct-problem estimates also varied by definition and subgroup in NSCH 2016–2019. Ever receiving a diagnosis was reported for 8.9% of children and adolescents ages 3 to 17, while current behavioral or conduct problems were reported for 7.0%. Ever receiving a diagnosis was reported for 12.2% of boys and 5.5% of girls, 13.1% of Black, non-Hispanic children and 3.4% of Asian, non-Hispanic children, and 12.4% of children at or below 100% of the federal poverty level.
State treatment estimates from NSCH 2016–2019 ranged from 6.5% of children and adolescents ages 3 to 17 receiving mental health treatment from a professional in Nevada to 15.6% in Montana. Medication-related estimates ranged from 3.7% in California and Nevada to 12.4% in Louisiana for children and adolescents ages 3 to 17 using medications related to mental health in the past year. These are period-specific state estimates, not current rankings or forecasts.