A clearer picture, without reducing anyone to a number.
Statistics can help writers, advocates, educators, and care providers understand the scale of women’s mental health needs in the United States. They cannot tell you what any one person is carrying, or whether someone deserves support. The measures below use different surveys and time frames, so each is labeled with its source and date.
16.0%
of females age 12 and older had depression symptoms
This estimate covers a two-week period from August 2021 through August 2023, using the PHQ-9 screening measure.
Source: CDC, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2021–202326.5%
of female adolescents ages 12–19 had depression symptoms
In the same national survey period, this was more than double the estimate for male adolescents of the same age.
Source: CDC, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2021–202319.0%
of females ages 20–39 had depression symptoms
This estimate reflects the same two-week screening window, not a clinical diagnosis for every person included.
Source: CDC, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2021–202326.0%
of females below the federal poverty level had depression symptoms
For comparison, the estimate was 8.8% for females at or above 400% of the federal poverty level.
Source: CDC, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2021–202343.0%
of females with depression symptoms reported counseling or therapy
This reflects receiving counseling or therapy from a mental health professional during the prior 12 months.
Source: CDC, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2021–20237.0%
of adult females reported serious mental illness
This is a past-year estimate for 2023. In this survey, serious mental illness means a disorder that substantially interfered with one or more major life activities.
Source: SAMHSA, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 202313.2%
of females ages 18–25 reported serious mental illness
This past-year estimate is higher than the 7.0% estimate across adult females of all ages in the same survey.
Source: SAMHSA, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2023How to read these statistics
Different measures answer different questions.
Depression symptoms: The CDC figures use the PHQ-9, a screening questionnaire about the prior two weeks. A positive screen is not the same as a diagnosis.
Serious mental illness: SAMHSA’s estimate refers to a past-year mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder that substantially interfered with major life activities. It does not include every mental health concern someone may experience.
Care received: The counseling figure shows whether people reported care in the prior 12 months. It does not explain whether care was available, affordable, continuous, or a good fit.
Methodology and sources
Where these figures come from.
This page uses nationally reported U.S. survey estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Statistics are presented as reported, with the collection period named beside each source. Right Mindset will review this page at least annually and update it when newer relevant federal data are released.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Depression Prevalence in Adolescents and Adults: United States, August 2021–August 2023, published April 2025.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health Public Use File Codebook, 2023 estimates.
Cite this page
Right Mindset, PLLC. “Women’s Mental Health Statistics: Depression, Care, and Access.” Updated October 5, 2026. https://rightmindsetpllc.com/women-mental-health-statistics.
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