Although patients have access to a number of effective depression treatments, only around one in three patients newly diagnosed with depression start treatment, with significant differences between racial groups and age groups, according to a Kaiser Permanente study.
The researchers studied patients who received a new diagnosis of depression in primary care settings in five large healthcare systems between 2010 and 2013 using EHRs, insurance claims and demographic data.
Here are five findings from the study.
1. Out of over 240,000 patients who were newly diagnosed with depression in a primary care setting, 35.7 percent of patients initiated antidepressant medication or psychotherapy within 90 days of their diagnosis. Among those with more severe depression, about half of patients started treatment.
2. The findings indicated considerable differences between racial and ethnic groups. The chances of Asians, non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics beginning treatment for depression were at least 30 percent lower than non-Hispanic whites.
3. The researchers also found patients who were 60 years or older when diagnosed were half as likely to begin treatment as patients under the age of 44.
4. For patients who did initiate treatment for depression, over 80 percent started antidepressant medication rather than psychotherapy.
5. The researchers found older patients were less likely to choose psychotherapy, with 25 percent of patients age 18 to 29 beginning counseling, compared to seven percent of patients age 75 and older.