Overview
- DAK data show 22 per 1,000 insured children aged 5 to 17 had an anxiety disorder in 2024, roughly 230,000 nationwide.
- Among girls aged 15 to 17, 66.5 per 1,000 were treated for anxiety in 2024, a 53% increase versus 2019, with chronic cases about twice as common.
- Treatments for depression in girls 15 to 17 rose about 27% since 2019 and for eating disorders about 38%, totaling an estimated 84,000 and 23,000 cases nationwide in 2024.
- Rates surged through 2021 and then remained on a high plateau, with DAK’s chief warning the hoped‑for decline has not materialized.
- The special analysis uses claims data for roughly 800,000 insured youths, and pediatric and student groups urge expanded prevention, school psychologists and social work.