Objective Updated rates of anxiety and depression incidence following the COVID-19 pandemic are urgently needed to inform mental health services available in healthcare systems. We evaluated year-to-year trends in anxiety and depression incidence post-pandemic using records from a large healthcare system in the United States. Methods Anxiety and depression year-to-year incidence rates were calculated for the following ‘pandemic periods’: pre-pandemic (March 2017–February 2020), during pandemic (March 2020–February 2022), and post-pandemic (March 2022–February 2024) (N > 2,570,000 per year). Negative binomial regression models were used to compare trends across periods. Results Anxiety incidence increased year-to-year within each pandemic period (ps < 0.001). Comparing year-to-year trends by pandemic period, there were no significant differences between post-pandemic anxiety and the pre- or during pandemic periods. Depression incidence increased pre-pandemic and during the pandemic, then showed year-to-year decreases in the post-pandemic period (ps < 0.001). Comparing year-to-year trends by period, depression incidence declined more post-pandemic compared to pre-pandemic (p < .001) and during pandemic (p < .001). Conclusions The annual trend in anxiety incidence increased post-pandemic, whereas the annual trend in depression incidence decreased post-pandemic compared to before and during the pandemic. These findings can inform the scale of mental health services needed in the aftermath of the pandemic.
