Number of young people with anxiety-depressive disorder reaches new peak in Quebec

The proportion of young Quebecers with an anxiety-depressive disorder has reached a peak, with 8.4 per cent of those aged 15 to 29 diagnosed in 2021-2022.

Women are twice as affected as men, according to an update published Friday by Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ).

Data shows that in 2021-2022, 11.8 per cent of women and 5.2 per cent of men were diagnosed with an anxiety-depressive disorder.

This includes depression, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The percentage of young people with an anxiety-depressive disorder has continued to increase since 2017-2018, when 5.9 per cent of young people aged 15 to 29 were diagnosed.

Certain age groups are more likely to suffer from anxiety-depressive disorder.

The most recent data shows that 25-29 year-olds have the highest prevalence and 15-19 year-olds have the lowest prevalence.

The data comes from the Quebec Integrated Chronic Disease Surveillance System.

A person is considered to have anxiety-depressive disorders if he or she received a diagnosis which was registered in the Quebec Health Ministry’s hospital client database or the medical fee-for-service file.

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–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews