U.S. survey probes depression care

More than half of all people with major depression now seek treatment for the disorder, up from about one-third a decade ago. Even so, only 1 in 5 depressed people receives adequate antidepressant medication and psychotherapy, according to a national survey in the June 18 Journal of the American Medical Association.

The findings underscore the need for more-aggressive depression treatment and more referrals by primary-care physicians, who care for most people with major depression, concludes a team led by sociologist Ronald C.