• Posted March 11, 2026

15-Year Study Shows Sharp Rise in Depression Among U.S. College Students

For nearly two decades, the mental health of American college students has been on a downward slide. 

A massive new analysis — to be published April 1 in the Journal of Affective Disorders — found that depression is not only becoming more common but is also hitting certain groups much harder than others.

The study, led by the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, tracked health survey data collected from more than 560,000 U.S. college students from 2007 to 2022. 

It found that the average score on a standard questionnaire that doctors use to measure the severity of depression has climbed every single year.

The steepest increases were reported from 2016 onward, with recent averages a clinical concern, researchers said. 

While many depression symptoms are on the rise, none has increased as dramatically as suicidal thoughts. 

Over the 15-year period, reported thoughts of suicide surged by nearly 154%. Other major issues reported included restlessness, which jumped by nearly 80%, and trouble concentrating, which rose more than 77%.

The study found increases in suicidal thoughts across all groups regardless of race, age, gender or financial stress. Reports of other symptoms, such as restlessness and lack of concentration rose most steeply among female, financially distressed and minority students.

For the study, a team led by Dr. Carol Vidal, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, analyzed data from the Healthy Minds Study, an annual, nationally representative online survey of U.S. college students. 

The sample included roughly 560,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 450 schools.

Students who reported financial stress scored higher in feelings of worthlessness and poor appetite.

Students of racial minority groups, particularly Hispanic students, reported significantly more sleep problems.

Women saw an annual increase of 0.041 points in loss of interest in activities, compared to a 0.028-point increase per year among men.

What's more, while women reported increases in sleep and appetite issues, the study warned that numbers don't tell the whole story for men. 

Male students are statistically less likely to report their mental health symptoms to researchers or doctors, researchers said. 

Despite reporting fewer symptoms on surveys, men continue to have higher suicide rates than women, Vidal pointed out.

She noted that minority students and those with financial burdens more likely to encounter both acute life events and chronic stressors that can lead to psychological and physiological changes, including elevated stress hormones.

"Coordinated action that addresses both the mental health needs of students and the structural stressors that drive them may prevent future
rising depression rates that can erode academic success and long-term health outcomes for a generation of students," researchers said.

If you or someone you know is dealing with a mental health or substance abuse problem, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration offers resources and a national help line at 800-662-HELP.

More information 

The National Alliance on Mental Health offers guidance on college mental health challenges. 

SOURCES: Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, news release, Mar. 5, 2026; Journal of Affective Disorders, Apr. 1, 2026