Depression On the Rise in Santa Barbara County

Even before the onslaught of COVID-19, an increasing number of Santa Barbara County residents were getting diagnosed with depression. Based on a new population health study conducted by Cottage Hospital in 2019, 23.9 percent of the respondents reported that they’d been told by a doctor that they suffered from a depressive disorder. In a similar study conducted by Cottage in 2016, the percentage of respondents was 18.3 percent. Santa Barbara’s numbers are significantly higher than the statewide and national benchmarks for depression. The statewide benchmark for depression in 2018 was 15.4 percent, and the national benchmark is 20.6 percent. 

Women reported a jump from 21.9 percent to 29.8 and men from 14.6 percent to 17.8.