Data and Statistics

Below are resources that provide up-to-date statistics around mental health. However, the list of data tools is not extensive.

Public Health Data Systems that Provide Mental Health Information
  • Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
    BRFSS collects information on health risk behaviors, preventative practices, and healthcare access. Questions include recent mentally unhealthy days, anxiety and depressive disorders, mental illness and stigma, and psychological distress.
  • Household Pulse Survey
    CDC has partnered with the U.S. Census Bureau on an experimental data system called the Household Pulse Survey to monitor trends in mental health, health insurance coverage, and problems accessing care.
  • National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
    NHANES assesses health and nutritional status through interviews and physical examinations. Collected data cover a number of conditions, including depression and anxiety, symptoms of conditions, concerns associated with mental health and substance abuse, and mental health service use and need.
  • National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)
    NHIS collects data on both adult and children’s mental health and mental disorders. For adults, this includes serious psychological distress and feelings of depression and anxiety.  For children, this includes the presence of  attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder.  The NHIS also examines mental health service use and whether individuals have unmet mental health needs. Questions about recent anxiety or frequent stress have been included in previous years.
  • National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS)
    NAMCS collects data on visits to non-federally employed office-based physicians who are primarily engaged in direct patient care and, starting in 2006, a separate sample of visits to community health centers.  Data are collected on type of provider, medications, primary diagnoses and presence of long-lasting conditions.
  • National Hospital Care Survey (NHCS)
    NHCS allows examination of care provided across treatment settings. Data cover physicians' diagnoses, services and procedures, types of healthcare professionals seen, hospital characteristics, discharge diagnoses, surgical and diagnostic procedures, and prescriptions for ambulatory visits.
  • National Post-acute and Long-term Care Study (NPALS)
    NPALS monitors trends in the supply, provision, and use of the major sectors of paid, regulated long-term care services. Data cover mental illness, depression, and service use.
  • National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH)
    NSCH examines the health of children including those with special needs with an emphasis on well-being, such as medical homes, family interactions, parental health, school and after-school experiences, and safe neighborhoods. The survey also collects information on the presence of a mental or behavioral problem.
  • National Survey of the Diagnosis and Treatment of ADHD and Tourette Syndrome (NS-DATA)
    NS-DATA collects information about children 2 to 15 years old in 2011-2012 who had ever been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or Tourette syndrome (TS) with the goal of better understanding diagnostic practices, level of impairment, and treatments for this group of children.
  • National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS)
    NVDRS collects data from medical examiners, coroners, police, crime labs, and death certificates to understand the circumstances surrounding violent deaths, including suicide. NVDRS can also provide details on the circumstances that may have led to violent deaths, including mental illness and mental disorders.
  • Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS)
    PRAMS collects data on maternal attitudes and experiences before, during, and after pregnancy. Surveillance research includes the prevalence of self-reported postpartum depression and anxiety symptoms.
  • School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS)
    SHPPS is a national survey assessing school health policies and practices at the state, district, school, and classroom levels. Collected data includes mental health and social service policies.
  • WISQARS™
    CDC’s WISQARS (Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System) is an interactive database system that provides customized reports of injury-related data, such as intentional self-harm including suicide.
  • Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)
    YRBSS monitors health-risk behaviors including tobacco use, substance abuse, unintentional injuries and violence, sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and STDs.