More than 1 in 5 adolescents in the U.S. (5.3 million) had a current, diagnosed mental or behavioral health condition in 2023, according to a new data brief from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Among those 5.3 million adolescents, defined as children ages 12-17, anxiety was the most common condition (16.1%), followed by depression (8.4%) and behavior/conduct problems (6.3%). Female adolescents were more likely than male adolescents to be diagnosed with anxiety (20.1% of females compared to 12.3% of males) and were more likely to be diagnosed with depression (10.9% of females compared to 6% of males). However, behavior and conduct problems were nearly twice as likely to occur among male adolescents compared to female adolescents (8.2% of males compared to 4.3% of females).

The data brief also examines trends in mental and behavioral health from 2016 through 2023, finding an overall 35% increase in these diagnoses among all U.S. adolescents. Diagnosed anxiety increased by 61%, going from 10% in 2016 to 16.1% in 2023, and depression increased 45%, going from 5.8% in 2016 to 8.4% in 2023. Diagnoses of behavior/conduct problems remained stable during that time.