A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says middle aged women are more prone to depression yet majority are not seeking help. According to the report, one in every eight middle aged women suffers from depression.
People with severe depression should be getting psychotherapy. Some might need complicated medication regimens, which psychiatrists are better equipped to do, which makes it even more concerning that only 35 percent of people with severe depression have seen a mental health professional.
Laura Pratt
The reports says women between the ages of 40 and 59 have the highest rate of depression. Apparently, only one third of them seek medical help from health professionals.
Further result shows that 9.5 per cent of females and 5.6 per cent of males aged 12 and older had moderate or severe depression. In addition, the researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics (CDC) said that 15 per cent of people living in poverty had depression. This means the risk of suffering from depression is two times higher for poor people.
According to Laura Pratt, a CDC epidemiologist and lead author of the study, “Not enough people are getting appropriate treatment for depression.”
“People with severe depression should be getting psychotherapy. Some might need complicated medication regimens, which psychiatrists are better equipped to do, which makes it even more concerning that only 35 percent of people with severe depression have seen a mental health professional.”
Depression is a condition affecting individual’s mood and behavior. It also affects cognitive functions such as concentration and decision-making abilities, and even their physical well-being.
When the researchers were just starting gathering data in 2012, almost 8 percent of Americans aged 12 and older were moderately to severely depressed.
For older population such as pensioners, depression is at its lowest rate at 5.4 percent.
To determine whether a participant was suffering from depression or not, the researchers conducted in-person interviews and asked about their symptoms. Among the common causes of depression were difficulty at work and at home.
This archive content was originally published December 4, 2014 (www.betawired.com)