U.S. survey probes depression care
By Bruce Bower
More than half of all people with major depression now seek treatment for the disorder, up from about one-third a decade ago. Even so, only 1 in 5 depressed people receives adequate antidepressant medication and psychotherapy, according to a national survey in the June 18 Journal of the American Medical Association.
The findings underscore the need for more-aggressive depression treatment and more referrals by primary-care physicians, who care for most people with major depression, concludes a team led by sociologist Ronald C. Kessler of Harvard Medical School in Boston.