FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASENovember 9, 2000Release No. 00-52
Kimberly Cordero202/682-6394[email protected]
Lack of Insurance Remains Significant Barrier to Depression Treatment
Washington, D.C. -- People diagnosed with depression during the 1996 Depression Screening Day were more likely to follow treatment recommendations if they had health insurance, according to a data analysis published in the November 2000 American Journal of Psychiatry.
The data sample was obtained from follow-up calls to 5,958 participants, resulting in 1,502 total respondents in the analysis. Among those who went for follow-up, individuals with health insurance (66.7%) and those with mental health insurance (74.6%) were more likely to comply with the recommendation to obtain follow-up than those without health insurance (57.5%) and those without mental health insurance (55.3%).
Of 927 subjects in the sample who had been referred for depression treatment, 602 (64.9%) obtained further evaluation. Of these 602, 503 (83.6%) received treatment, and 376 (74.8%) were still in treatment after six months. More than half of the sample received a combination of psychotherapy and medication; one-fourth received medication only; and one-fifth received psychotherapy only. The majority of the participants were single Caucasion females, who were employed and had never previously attended a depression screening.
Traditionally, Depression Screening Day is held annually across the United States in October during Mental Illness Awareness Week. In 1996, 62,000 people were screened at 2,800 sites in 50 states and Canada. Depression screenings are a useful way to identify depression and help refer individuals with depression to treatment.
"It is important to note that only 3.9 percent of the participants had ever participated in a National Depression Screening Day, indicating that each year the screening program serves a mostly untreated, depressed population new to the program," report the authors from the Harvard Medical School in Boston and Screening for Mental Health in Wellesley, Mass. However, they write, "a lack of insurance remains a significant barrier to treatment for depressed individuals."
["Treatment for Depression Following the 1996 National Depression Screening Day," by Shelly F. Greenfield, M.D., M.P.H., et al., p. 1867, American Journal of Psychiatry, November 2000.]
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