Key Insights from the Report
- Depression is a young person's crisis to transform. Gen Z and Millennials make up 52% of the depression cohort. This population is younger, more digitally native and more health-conscious than the one the mental healthcare system was built to serve.
- Economic barriers make treatment failure even more costly. Every failed antidepressant has the potential to add weeks of lost productivity, prolonged symptoms and continued reliance on out-of-pocket alternatives. Considering that adults with depression are 130% to 190% more likely than their peers to be unable to work, getting the medication match right the first time isn't a clinical preference, it's a financial necessity.
- Self-treatment with cannabis-derived substances is widespread. Half of GenZ adults with depression (50%) use marijuana. Among Gen Z CBD users who have depression, 70% say they use it specifically for mental wellness. That’s 60% higher than their peers.
- Depression, weight and medication form a co-occurring cluster. Adults with depression are 70% more likely to take prescription weight-loss drugs than the general population.
- Screens serve as both a coping tool and a health portal. Boomers with depression are 100% more likely to use telehealth and 60% more likely to use medical apps than their peers. Two-thirds of Gen Z with depression play video games as a primary leisure activity, and they're 60% more likely than their peers to turn to online communities.
- Boomers are the most media-influenced generation for medicine purchases. Across social media, mobile video, product reviews and internet channels, Boomers with depression over-index on media influence more than any other generation.
