The proportion of young Quebecers who have an anxiety-depressive disorder has reached a peak, with 8.4% of those aged 15 to 29 receiving a diagnosis in 2021-2022. Women are twice as affected as men, according to an update of this indicator published Friday by the Institute of Statistics of Quebec.
Data shows that in 2021-2022, 11.8% of women and 5.2% of men were diagnosed with an anxiety-depressive disorder. This includes, among others, depression, bipolar illness, panic disorders, generalized anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
The percentage of young people with an anxiety-depressive disorder has continued to increase since 2017-2018, when at that time 5.9% of young people aged 15 to 29 had been 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 be suffering from anxiety-depressive disorders during a year if he or she received such a diagnosis which was registered in the database on hospital clients of the Ministry of Health and Social Services or who has been registered in the fee-for-service medical services file.
The Canadian Press’s health content receives funding through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for editorial choices.
To watch on video