National rates of anxiety and depression declined in the first half of 2021 but remain elevated compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to a CDC report published Oct. 5.
The report is based on the ongoing Household Pulse Survey, a national online survey developed by the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics. The survey has polled a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults biweekly since April 23, 2020.
Based on survey responses, the CDC found average anxiety severity scores increased 13 percent between August and December 2020 before falling 26.8 percent between December 2020 and June 2021. CDC researchers reported a similar trend for depression rates.
Despite the 2021 decreases, anxiety and depression rates were still higher than national estimates for 2019, according to the CDC. The relative increases and decreases in reported symptoms also "mirrored the national weekly number of new COVID-19 cases during the same period," the agency said.
See the full report here.