It’s possible to get too much of a good thing. Despite a positive trend, though, we are a long way from any excess of blessings when it comes to treatment for depression.
A recent study does bring the good news that many more Americans are receiving of treatment for depression. In 1987, less than 1 percent of the population was being treated for depression, according to the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. By 1997, the outpatient treatment rate had tripled to 2.3 percent of the population.
No, Americans weren’t more depressed. Apparently, more people were just seeking out the help that they need.
There are a number of reasons that more people are treated. The introduction of Prozac and other anti-depressant drugs has created new options for many patients and their physicians. People are less embarrassed about seeking help for depression, because we have begun to realize both its widespread nature and its medical basis. Many health insurance plans are pretty good about covering drug costs. And advertising by drug companies (a practice that certainly raises many legitimate questions) has helped spread the word that treatment is available.
Whatever the costs of treatment, they are well worth it, for both individuals and society.
The downside of the trend, though, is that many people still aren’t being helped as much as possible. Many insurance plans have little or no coverage of psychotherapy, although it can be very effective, especially in combination with drug treatment. Some patients try antidepressants but never go back for followup.
Worst of all, many people don’t receive any help at all. Advocates for better treatment say that minorities and those without medical insurance have been particularly poorly served.
Dr. Harold Alan Pincus, a co-author of the study, worries that, even with more widespread use of medicines, there may not have been an overall improvement in how effectively patients are helped.
At the minimum, though, more people seem to realize that there are options for dealing with depression. And they are seeking out help. There is less need than ever for people to suffer the ravages of depression. We must continue expanding the treatment opportunities and reaching more Americans.
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