From 2001 to 2019, 42% of Americans rated their mental health as excellent, but that share fell to 34% in 2020 and has continued to decline, with 2020 marking the pandemic’s immediate impact.

A new West Health-Gallup poll shows Americans’ self-rated mental health deteriorating, signaling a shift in public perception and highlighting the ongoing U.S. mental health challenge.

Declines in self-reported mental health span major demographics, with White and Black Americans showing larger drops than Hispanic Americans, and political affiliation influencing the magnitude of decline.

Fair Health data show increased mental health diagnoses since 2019, including generalized anxiety and major depressive disorder, likely linked to pandemic stress, while lifelong conditions like ADHD and bipolar disorder are not pandemic-specific.

The article portrays these results as part of a broader, ongoing challenge to mental health in the United States.

Experts caution that not all unhappiness requires treatment, and stress and unhappiness may be normal responses to uncertainty shaped by factors like politics and immigration-related stress.

Researchers Rosenthal and Radley note declining stigma and greater symptom awareness—and social media’s role in reporting—while acknowledging the deep impact of societal and political volatility on mental health.

The poll suggests growing alignment of mental health outcomes across groups despite rising polarization, indicating broad stressors affecting many Americans.

Experts attribute the decline to pandemic-related trauma, political and economic uncertainty, and rising stress, while noting that greater openness about mental health may reflect reduced stigma.

Despite worsening self-reports, help-seeking has risen, with about a quarter of U.S. adults seeing a mental health professional in the past year and average visits increasing since 2001.

Among college graduates, the share reporting excellent mental health dropped markedly, narrowing the historical gap with non-graduates, while generation-based declines show Gen Z and Millennials carrying the largest losses.

Overall declines are evident across generations and demographics from 2014-2019 to 2020-2025, with younger cohorts like Gen Z and Millennials each dropping about 15 points in excellent mental health ratings.