7.6% in U.S. are depressed, few seek treatment
By Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times
About 1 in 13 Americans was suffering from depression at some point between 2009 and 2012, yet only 35 percent of people with severe depression and 20 percent of those with moderate depression said they had sought help from a mental health professional, according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That’s troubling, the report authors write, because therapy combined with medication is “the most effective treatment for depression, especially for severe depression.” Drugs might be prescribed by a primary care doctor, but only a mental health specialist would conduct the type of therapy needed to get well.
The report, from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, offers a snapshot of the nation’s mental state during recent years.