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This week, Gallup published a poll showing US depression rates for the first quarter of 2026. Over 19% of adults report that they have depression or are being treated for it, a comparable rate to the prior quarter but nearly double where the figure stood in 2015.
Since 2015, when Gallup began to track this measure, the US has seen a period of greatly expanded access to mental healthcare. When the Affordable Care Act took effect in 2010, up to 37 million previously uninsured Americans, 29% of whom had preexisting behavioral health disorders, gained access to mental-health service coverage. Today, coverage has continued to increase, with marketplace enrollment doubling between 2020 and 2025.
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Carolyn D. Gorman is a Paulson Policy Analyst at the Manhattan Institute. Esme Vroom is a collegiate associate at the Manhattan Institute.