About half of Americans with major depression do not receive treatment for the condition. And, according to a new study, the therapies are not consistent with the standard of care. The study revealed that ethnicity and race were important factors in deciding who received treatments. Mexican Americans and African Americans are the least likely groups to get treatment for depression.
According to the National Institutes of Health, depression can be a debilitating condition and interfere with daily life. It can affect your work, relationships, sleep and appetite. A combination of factors contributes to depression, including a chemical imbalance in the brain, genetics , stress and excessive drug or alcohol use www.thetreatmentcenter.com/depression. This study was the first to categorize large ethnic and racial groups into subgroups in order to examine treatment disparities.
The study compiled data from the National Institute of Mental Health’s Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys – a combination of three surveys done between 2001 and 2003 with a total of 15,762 participants. Of the people surveyed, 8.3 percent had major depression, and approximately half of those with the condition received at least one type of treatment. Only about 21 percent had therapies that followed accepted treatment guidelines from the American Psychiatric Association.
The study was conducted by Hector M. Gonzalez at Wayne State University in Detroit. The study found that Mexican Americans, African Americans and Caribbean blacks were less likely to get drug treatment or counseling www.thetreatmentcenter.com. The study also revealed that counseling was used more than drug therapy overall. Psychotherapy rates were highest amongst Mexican and African Americans, suggesting that this type of therapy may be more accepted by these groups and could be one way for improving depression care in these minorities.
At The Treatment Center, we provide a comprehensive program for drug treatment and depression. Give us a call, 24 hours a day at 877-392-3342, We can restore hope.
