Anxiety Symptoms in US Adolescents: High Prevalence, Large Treatment Gap

Approximately 1 in 6 US adolescents reported moderate or severe anxiety symptoms in 2024, yet a substantial proportion received no mental health treatment in the preceding year, according to a cross-sectional study published in JAMA Pediatrics.

The investigators analyzed data on 15,730 adolescents aged 12 to 20 years (48.9% female) from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a nationally representative survey of the US civilian, noninstitutionalized population. Anxiety symptoms were assessed with the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) questionnaire, a brief self-report screener. The investigators noted that contemporary nationally representative estimates of anxiety symptom severity, associated conditions, and treatment use had been lacking.

Overall, 23.7% of adolescents reported mild anxiety symptoms, 9.6% reported moderate symptoms, and 7.2% reported severe symptoms. Female adolescents had higher rates of moderate (13.4% vs 6.0%) and severe (10.8% vs 3.7%) symptoms than males. Among those with severe symptoms, 65.8% met criteria for a past-year major depressive episode, 48.2% reported past-year suicidal thoughts, and 31.0% reported past-month substance use.

No mental health treatment in the preceding year was reported for 41.2% of adolescents with severe symptoms and 48.3% of those with moderate symptoms. In multivariable analyses, treatment was less likely among male, racial and ethnic minoritized, and uninsured adolescents.

The authors concluded that the high prevalence of anxiety symptoms, frequent co-occurrence with depression and suicidal thoughts, and large unmet need underscore the importance of improving early identification and access to evidence-based treatment. The findings are cross-sectional and based on self-reported symptoms.

Source: Bommersbach TJ, Fontanella CA, Olfson M, Rhee TG. Estimates of anxiety symptoms among US adolescents. JAMA Pediatr. Published online October 12, 2026. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.4702