We use analytics cookies to understand how readers use the site. They only run if you accept. Privacy policy.
Solid line: total U.S. population aged 65+ (millions). Dashed line: estimated adults 65+ living with depression (millions). Sources: U.S. Census Bureau 2017 projections; NIA/NIMH prevalence estimates.
Despite affecting an estimated 7 million older Americans, late-life depression is chronically underdiagnosed. More than half of those affected receive no formal diagnosis — a gap driven by stigma, provider shortages, and symptom overlap with other age-related conditions.