Day-one level coverage
Transamerica, Royal Neighbors, and NewBridge publish depression and anxiety at their Preferred tiers — and Transamerica’s worked example includes an antidepressant.
Health & coverage · Mental health
Life insurance with depression or anxiety: better odds than you’ve been told
Depression and anxiety are among the most common conditions we see — and on the published guides we reviewed, they’re among the easiest to insure. Several carriers place them at their best day-one tier, antidepressant and all. What carriers actually look at is narrower: a recent psychiatric hospitalization, or a past suicide attempt. Here’s the honest map.
The honest landscape
How carriers actually see depression or anxiety
Start with the good news, because it’s real. Transamerica’s 2023 underwriting guide lists depression — and PTSD, which it rates the same way — at its Preferred tier, and the guide’s own worked example places an applicant taking citalopram for depression (alongside three other medications) at Preferred. Royal Neighbors’ final expense risk guide marks anxiety and depression as compatible with every class it offers, Preferred included. NewBridge rates “mental illness (anxiety, depression)” and even “major depression” at Preferred — ever diagnosed, no waiting period.
What actually moves an application is severity, and the published guides are specific about where they draw the line. NewBridge routes a psychiatric condition that required inpatient treatment in the last five years to its Modified plan, and back to Standard after five years. United Home Life singles out major depression with a hospitalization in the past 12 months. Corebridge’s fully underwritten guide automatically declines anxiety or depression that required hospitalization or disability in the last year. And one combination is named outright: Foresters’ 2026 guide for its term and permanent plans lists depression or anxiety together with alcohol abuse among combinations that are often uninsurable.
A past suicide attempt is underwritten on a clock, and the clock is kinder than people fear. Transamerica’s FE Express guide declines inside two years, rates Select from two to five years, and Premier — its best class — beyond five; NewBridge moves from not eligible to Modified to Standard on the same two- and five-year marks. And beneath everything sits the floor: guaranteed-issue whole life asks no health questions at all. Mutual of Omaha’s runs to age 85, Corebridge’s and Americo’s to 80 — with a graded period for natural-cause death in the first two years (three at Americo) and full accidental coverage from day one.
Your realistic paths
The three doors, honestly labeled
Graded coverage
NewBridge’s Modified plan takes inpatient psychiatric treatment within five years, or a suicide attempt two to five years ago: a limited benefit for two years, then the full benefit.
Guaranteed acceptance
No health questions — so no mental health questions. Mutual of Omaha to 85, Corebridge and Americo to 80. Graded period for natural causes; accidents covered in full from day one. Nobody in the eligible ages is simply uninsurable.
What moves the needle
Climbing the ladder
Hospitalization is the fork, not the diagnosis
The published lines are drawn at inpatient care: the past 12 months at United Home Life and in Corebridge’s fully underwritten guide, five years at NewBridge. Outpatient care and medication alone don’t trigger those rows.
Time after a suicide attempt
Two years and five years are the published marks. Transamerica’s FE Express moves from decline to Select at two years and to Premier at five; NewBridge moves from not eligible to Modified to Standard.
Alcohol on top of depression
Foresters’ 2026 guide names depression or anxiety plus alcohol abuse as an often-uninsurable combination. Recovery time matters — the alcohol questions run on their own published clocks.
Inside the application
What carriers actually ask
- NewBridge’s guide lists “mental illness (anxiety, depression)” and “major depression” — ever — at Preferred; the row that changes the tier is “psychiatric condition requiring inpatient treatment” within the last five years.
- United Home Life’s guide routes major depression with a hospitalization within the past 12 months, or a suicide attempt within two years, to its Deluxe tier — a step below its best Premier tier, not its graded plan.
- Corebridge’s fully underwritten automatic-decline list includes a mental disorder, including anxiety or depression, that required hospitalization or disability in the last year — and a suicide attempt in the last year.
- Transamerica’s chart rates depression at Preferred, sends PTSD to the depression row, and rates any hospitalization within the last 12 months at Standard.
Where the doors are
Panel niches worth knowing
Every carrier draws its lines differently — these documented niches are why we shop your exact situation instead of accepting the first answer. Sources labeled; guidelines change without notice.
Transamerica
carrier underwriting guideDepression and PTSD rate Preferred on the 2023 single-condition chart, and the guide’s case study places a citalopram user at Preferred. A suicide attempt within two years is a decline; FE Express moves to Select at two years and Premier at five.
Our full Transamerica reviewRoyal Neighbors of America
carrier underwriting guideAnxiety and depression are marked available at every class on the Ensured Legacy risk guide — including Preferred (issue ages 50–75).
Our full Royal Neighbors of America reviewNewBridge (Continental General)
carrier underwriting guideAnxiety, depression, and major depression rate Preferred (ever). Inpatient psychiatric treatment within five years = Modified, older = Standard. Suicide attempt: under two years not eligible, two to five Modified, five-plus Standard. Not sold in CA, FL, NY, or SC.
United Home Life
carrier underwriting guideOnly the severe edge is listed: major depression with a hospitalization in the past 12 months, or a suicide attempt within two years, routes to the Deluxe tier — still eligible for both whole life and term.
AIG (Corebridge)
carrier underwriting guideFully underwritten guide (2025): automatic decline for anxiety or depression requiring hospitalization or disability in the last year, a suicide attempt in the last year, or more than one attempt if the last was within two years.
Our full AIG (Corebridge) reviewForesters Financial
carrier underwriting guideThe 2026 guide for its term and permanent plans lists depression or anxiety combined with alcohol abuse among the combinations that are often uninsurable — worth knowing before applying there.
Our full Foresters Financial reviewStraight answers
Depression or anxiety & life insurance — FAQ
Can I get life insurance if I take an antidepressant?
Yes — commonly at the best tier. Transamerica’s published guide walks through an applicant taking citalopram for depression and places him at Preferred, and Royal Neighbors and NewBridge publish depression at their Preferred classes. The prescription will show up on the carrier’s pharmacy check, and that’s fine: answering honestly is what keeps the policy solid.
Does a past psychiatric hospitalization disqualify me?
No — it changes the timing and the tier. NewBridge routes inpatient psychiatric treatment within five years to its Modified plan and to Standard after that. United Home Life looks at a hospitalization for major depression in the past 12 months, and Transamerica’s chart rates any hospitalization within 12 months at Standard — still day-one coverage. Guaranteed-issue whole life asks nothing at all.
I attempted suicide in the past. Can I still get covered?
Yes — and we’re glad you’re asking. The published rules run on time. Under two years, Transamerica and NewBridge decline, while United Home Life lists its Deluxe tier. From two to five years, Transamerica’s FE Express offers Select and NewBridge its Modified plan. Beyond five years, FE Express reaches Premier and NewBridge Standard. If you’re struggling right now, you can call or text 988 any time.
Should I leave depression or anxiety off the application?
No. Carriers check prescription history — Transamerica and NewBridge pull pharmacy and medical data electronically, and Mutual of Omaha and American Amicable run pharmacy checks — so an antidepressant is visible either way. A mismatch between your answers and that data is what causes trouble, not the diagnosis itself, which several carriers rate at their best tier.
One search, every door
See your real options in about 60 seconds
A few basic questions — age, state, and your honest health picture — are exactly what lets us quote you accurately across the whole panel. A decline somewhere else is the start of our search, not the end. No exam to look, no spam, no pressure.
- We know which carriers treat depression or anxiety best — that's the whole job
- Day-one coverage first, whenever you qualify
- Your information is never sold