Mental, emotional, and behavioral conditions are common in childhood — far more common than many parents expect. The single figure that captures the scale is straightforward: nearly 1 in 5 U.S. children ages 3-17 — about 21% — has ever been diagnosed with a mental, emotional, or behavioral condition (CDC, 2021). That is not a fringe experience. It describes millions of children in classrooms, pediatric offices, and homes across the country.
Behind that headline sit a handful of specific diagnoses that account for most of the total. The most common are anxiety, behavior or conduct problems, depression, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Each has its own pattern by age and sex, and each comes with its own gap between the children who are diagnosed and the children who actually receive care.
This article breaks down the CDC’s children’s mental health data by condition, age, and sex; details the ADHD numbers and how often ADHD travels with other disorders; examines the treatment gap; and traces how diagnoses have risen in recent years. For a broader clinical overview of how these conditions fit together, see our pillar on any mental illness and our population page on children.
The Most Common Currently Diagnosed Conditions
The 21% “ever diagnosed” figure counts any child who has received a diagnosis at some point. A more current snapshot comes from asking which conditions children have right now. Among children ages 3-17, the three most common currently diagnosed conditions are anxiety, behavior or conduct problems, and depression (CDC, 2024).
The sex differences are notable and consistent. Girls are diagnosed with anxiety and depression more often than boys, while boys are diagnosed with behavior or conduct problems at roughly twice the rate of girls.
| Condition (current diagnosis) | Overall | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anxiety | 11% | 9% | 12% |
| Behavior or conduct problems | 8% | 10% | 5% |
| Depression | 4% | 3% | 6% |
Anxiety is the most common of the three, affecting about 11% of children — roughly 1 in 9. Behavior or conduct problems follow at 8%, with a pronounced skew toward boys. Depression, at 4% overall, is diagnosed in girls at twice the rate seen in boys (CDC, 2024). These patterns foreshadow the sharper sex gaps that emerge in adolescence.
Children’s Mental Health by Age
Prevalence changes dramatically as children grow. Anxiety and depression climb steeply with age, while behavior disorders peak in the elementary-school years and then ease slightly. The table below shows current-diagnosis rates across three age bands (CDC, 2024).
| Condition (current) | Ages 3-5 | Ages 6-11 | Ages 12-17 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anxiety | 2.3% | 9.2% | 16.0% |
| Depression | 0.1% | 1.9% | 8.7% |
| Behavior disorders | 5.0% | 9.6% | 6.8% |
The age gradient is the story here. Anxiety rises from 2.3% among preschoolers to 16.0% among teens ages 12-17 — a nearly sevenfold increase. Depression is almost absent in early childhood (0.1%) but reaches 8.7% by adolescence. Behavior disorders follow a different curve, most prevalent in the 6-11 range (9.6%) before declining somewhat in the teen years.
This shift matters for how families and schools respond. Early childhood concerns tend to center on behavior, while the adolescent years bring a marked rise in mood and anxiety conditions. Our companion articles on youth mental health statistics and teen depression statistics look more closely at the adolescent end of this range.
ADHD in Children
ADHD is the most frequently diagnosed neurodevelopmental condition of childhood. As of the 2024 National Survey of Children’s Health, 11.7% of U.S. children ages 3-17 — about 7 million — had a current ADHD diagnosis (CDC, 2024). It is diagnosed far more often in boys than in girls.
| Group | Current ADHD diagnosis |
|---|---|
| Boys | 13% |
| Girls | 7% |
An earlier and more detailed look comes from the 2022 survey, analyzed by Danielson and colleagues: 11.4% of children had ever been diagnosed with ADHD, and 10.5% — about 6.5 million — had a current diagnosis (Danielson et al., 2024). Among children with current ADHD in 2022, severity broke down as 41.9% mild, 45.3% moderate, and 12.8% severe.
For a fuller treatment of the numbers across children and adults, see how many people have ADHD, our dedicated ADHD condition page, and the ADHD in children overview.
How often ADHD co-occurs with other conditions
ADHD rarely appears in isolation. In 2022, 77.9% of children with current ADHD had at least one co-occurring disorder (CDC, 2024). The most common companions were behavioral or conduct problems, anxiety, and depression.
| Co-occurring condition | Share of children with current ADHD (2022) |
|---|---|
| Any co-occurring disorder | 77.9% |
| Behavioral or conduct problems | 44.1% |
| Anxiety | 39.1% |
| Depression | 18.9% |
This high rate of overlap is one reason ADHD care so often requires attention to more than a single diagnosis. A child evaluated for attention problems may also be carrying anxiety or a behavior disorder that shapes both the presentation and the treatment plan.
The Treatment Gap
A diagnosis does not guarantee care, and the ADHD data make the gap concrete. Among U.S. children with a current ADHD diagnosis in 2022 (CDC, 2024):
- 53.6% were currently taking ADHD medication.
- About 30% received neither medication nor behavioral treatment — up from 23% in 2016.
- Nearly 2 million children received no ADHD-specific treatment at all.
That roughly 30% figure is the one worth sitting with. For a condition with well-established, effective treatments, close to a third of diagnosed children were receiving no ADHD-specific care, and the untreated share grew rather than shrank between 2016 and 2022. Barriers include access to specialists, cost, waitlists, and the practical difficulty of coordinating behavioral therapy alongside school.
The Upward Trend
Diagnoses of children’s mental, behavioral, and developmental disorders have been rising. Analyzing national survey data, CDC researchers found that any lifetime mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder among children ages 3-17 increased from 2016 to 2021 (CDC, 2024). Two conditions drove much of the change:
- Anxiety increased significantly, with an average annual percentage change (AAPC) of 6.0.
- Depression also rose significantly, with an AAPC of 5.3.
Whether this reflects a true increase in these conditions, greater awareness and screening, reduced stigma around help-seeking, or some combination is an open question — most researchers point to several factors at once. What the trend does not appear to be is a plateau. The rise in anxiety and depression diagnoses among children mirrors the broader adolescent patterns documented in our youth mental health statistics coverage.
Poverty and Children’s Mental Health
Children’s mental health also tracks with economic circumstances. CDC surveillance data from 2016-2019 show meaningfully higher rates of certain conditions among children in the lowest income bracket compared with those in higher-income households (CDC, 2022).
| Measure (2016-2019) | At or below 100% of the federal poverty level | Above 200% of the poverty level |
|---|---|---|
| Behavior problems, ever diagnosed | 12.4% | 7.4% |
| Depression, current | 4.7% | 2.9% |
Children living in families at or below the poverty line were diagnosed with behavior problems at 12.4%, compared with 7.4% among children in families above 200% of the poverty level. Current depression showed a similar gradient, 4.7% versus 2.9% (CDC, 2022). These gaps reflect a mix of factors — greater exposure to stressors, differences in access to evaluation and care, and the material strain that poverty places on families — and they underscore that children’s mental health is shaped by more than biology alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many children have a mental health condition?
Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. children ages 3-17 — about 21% — has ever been diagnosed with a mental, emotional, or behavioral condition (CDC, 2021). Anxiety, behavior or conduct problems, depression, and ADHD are the most common.
What is the most common mental health condition in children?
Among currently diagnosed conditions, anxiety is the most common, affecting about 11% of children ages 3-17. Behavior or conduct problems follow at 8%, and depression at 4% (CDC, 2024). ADHD, a neurodevelopmental condition, is diagnosed in about 11.7% of children.
How does children’s mental health differ by age?
Anxiety and depression rise sharply with age, while behavior disorders peak in middle childhood. Anxiety climbs from 2.3% at ages 3-5 to 16.0% at ages 12-17, and depression from 0.1% to 8.7% across the same span, while behavior disorders are highest at ages 6-11 (9.6%) (CDC, 2024).
How many children with ADHD go untreated?
In 2022, about 30% of children with current ADHD received neither medication nor behavioral treatment — up from 23% in 2016 — and nearly 2 million received no ADHD-specific treatment at all (CDC, 2024). About 53.6% were taking ADHD medication.
Are children’s mental health diagnoses increasing?
Yes. Any lifetime mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder among children ages 3-17 rose from 2016 to 2021, with anxiety (average annual percentage change of 6.0) and depression (5.3) increasing significantly (CDC, 2024).
Does poverty affect children’s mental health?
CDC data from 2016-2019 show higher rates of certain conditions among children in the lowest income bracket. Children at or below the poverty line were diagnosed with behavior problems at 12.4% versus 7.4% above 200% of the poverty level, and current depression at 4.7% versus 2.9% (CDC, 2022).
Sources
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data and Statistics on Children’s Mental Health. CDC; 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/children-mental-health/data-research/index.html
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data and Statistics on ADHD. CDC; 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/adhd/data/index.html
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Trends in Mental, Behavioral, and Developmental Disorders Among Children and Adolescents, 2016-2021. Prev Chronic Dis. 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2024/24_0142.htm
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mental Health Surveillance Among Children — United States, 2013-2019. MMWR Suppl. 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/su/su7102a1.htm
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Danielson ML, et al. ADHD Prevalence Among U.S. Children and Adolescents in 2022. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2024. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38778436/