Study: Depressed not seeking treatment

About 1 in 13 Americans suffered from depression at some time in the years 2009-2012, 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 new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That's troubling, the authors write, because therapy with medication is "the most effective treatment for depression, especially for severe depression." A primary care doctor might give the drugs, but only a mental health specialist would do the therapy needed to get well.

Overall, 2.9 percent of the participants had suffered "severe depressive symptoms" in the two weeks before being interviewed, and another 4.7 percent had "moderate depressive symptoms," the researchers found. Americans in their 40s and 50s were the most likely to be depressed, with 9.8 percent having moderate or severe depression. The oldest (ages 60 and over) and the youngest (ages 12 to 17) people in the survey were the least likely to be depressed, with rates of 5.4 percent and 5.7 percent respectively. Overall, 9.5 percent of women were depressed, compared with 5.6 percent of men. - Los Angeles Times