Marketing drives rise in treatment of depression

Associated Press

CHICAGO — The number of Americans treated for depression soared from 1.7 million to 6.3 million between 1987 and 1997, and the proportion of those receiving anti-depressants doubled, researchers say.

The researchers attributed the sharp increases to the emergence of aggressively marketed new drugs such as Prozac, the rise in managed care and an easing of the stigma attached to the disease.

The study found that the share of patients who used anti-depressant medication climbed from 37 percent to nearly 75 percent. At the same time, the proportion who received psychotherapy declined from 71 percent to 60 percent.

While an increase in treatment for depression was not surprising, "the size of the increase was larger than I think most people in the field expected," said Dr. Mark Olfson, a psychiatrist at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute who led the study.

The study was an analysis of two national surveys. The findings appear in today’s Journal of the American Medical Association.

The publicizing of newer anti-depressants that have fewer side effects — such as Prozac, which was introduced in late 1987 — has helped make patients more willing to seek treatment, the researchers said.

Also, managed care has placed more emphasis on primary-care physicians, who may be more likely to prescribe medication than to refer patients to specialists for psychotherapy, said Ronald Kessler, a professor of health care policy at Harvard University.

Other surveys have suggested that about 5 percent of the U.S. population — roughly 14 million people — could benefit from treatment for depression, but the study suggests that only about half that number are actually receiving care, Regier said.

Copyright ©2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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