--- title: Most People With Depression Don't Get Treatment description: According to a new study, the majority of people who suffer from depression aren't getting the right treatment or any treatment at all. canonical: https://time.com/4476992/depressed-adults-no-treatment/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-09-09T12:00:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T00:22:01.157Z article:section: Health og:title: Most People Who Are Depressed Don’t Get Treatment: Study og:description: Fewer than a third of depressed adults are treated for symptoms og:url: https://time.com/4476992/depressed-adults-no-treatment/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta1527b72ca1ddfbc/6988604b524fc0f68ddf4298/alzheimers-health-illo.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME.com stock health alzheimers og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Most People Who Are Depressed Don’t Get Treatment: Study twitter:description: Fewer than a third of depressed adults are treated for symptoms twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta1527b72ca1ddfbc/6988604b524fc0f68ddf4298/alzheimers-health-illo.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Most People Who Are Depressed Don’t Get Treatment: Study by [Anthea Levi / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Anthea Levi / Health.com Sep 9, 2016 12:00 PM UTC  Illustration by Sydney Rae Hass for TIME by [Anthea Levi / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Anthea Levi / Health.com Sep 9, 2016 12:00 PM UTC Depression is one of the most common mental health disorders, affecting an estimated [15.7 million Americans](http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/prevalence/major-depression-among-adults.shtml). Yet according to a recent study published in _JAMA Internal Medicine,_ the majority of people who suffer from the mood disorder aren’t getting the right treatment or [any treatment at all](http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2546155). What’s more, many people who are under treatment don’t show any signs of depression. The researchers analyzed the results of a survey of more than 46,000 adults conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality from 2012 to 2013\. Their results were striking: They found that fewer than a third of depressed adults were treated for their [symptoms](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20854499,00.html). Certain groups were less likely to get treatment than others—[men](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20521449,00.html), minorities, and people without insurance. They also found that people who were getting help largely received treatment that didn’t match the severity of their condition. For example, people with “less serious \[psychological\] distress” were more likely to take antidepressants than people with more severe [depression](http://www.health.com/depression). (Antidepressants aren’t that effective for mild depression and are a better fit for people with severe symptoms.) The study also revealed that only 30% of people who were under treatment actually screened positive for depression. **_Health.com_**_:_ [_7 Types of Therapy That Can Help Depression_](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20310354,00.html/?xid=time) The data raises real concerns, says lead author Mark Olfson, MD, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City: “We found that most people who could benefit from depression treatment aren’t receiving it, while many others are receiving depression treatments that they may not need.” Severe cases can require a combination of psychotherapy and medications, he explained in an email to _Health_, but patients with a milder form of depression might be helped by counseling or [exercise](http://news.health.com/2016/03/24/these-are-the-best-exercises-for-anxiety-and-depression/). “There are widespread challenges in aligning depression care with patient needs,” Dr. Olfson said. “Ideally, every depressed patient should receive treatment that is neither insufficient nor too intensive for her or his clinical needs.” To start, he urges primary care doctors to use simple, brief screening tools for depression. By identifying common symptoms in their patients (like sadness, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating), they can encourage those people to seek help. _This_ [_article_](http://www.health.com/depression/most-depressed-adults-dont-get-treatment/?xid=time) _originally appeared on_ [_Health.com_](http://www.health.com) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4476992/depressed-adults-no-treatment/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4476992/depressed-adults-no-treatment/"},"headline":"Most People Who Are Depressed Don’t Get Treatment: Study","datePublished":"2016-09-09T12:00:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T00:22:01.157Z","description":"Fewer than a third of depressed adults are treated for symptoms","url":"https://time.com/4476992/depressed-adults-no-treatment/","keywords":["Mental Health/Psychology"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta1527b72ca1ddfbc/6988604b524fc0f68ddf4298/alzheimers-health-illo.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Anthea Levi / Health.com"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta1527b72ca1ddfbc/6988604b524fc0f68ddf4298/alzheimers-health-illo.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"TIME.com stock health alzheimers","caption":"TIME.com stock health alzheimers","creditText":"Illustration by Sydney Rae Hass for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/mental-healthpsychology/","name":"Mental Health/Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4476992/depressed-adults-no-treatment/","name":"Most People Who Are Depressed Don’t Get Treatment: Study"}}]}] ```