In Case You Haven't Heard…

New data from Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS), “The Health of America Report,” finds that one in five millennials diagnosed with major depression are not seeking any form of treatment, a BCBS press release stated. Millennials are defined by the Pew Research Center as Americans born between the years 1981 and 1996 (ages 23 to 38 in 2019). Diagnoses are increasing faster in millennials and teens than in any other age group. “Treating major depression is complicated and it's important for patients to be able to find the right balance of treatments that work best for them, whether that's therapy, prescription antidepressants or a combination,” said Vincent G. Nelson, M.D., vice president of medical affairs for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Among the key findings are more than 2 million commercially insured Americans of all ages are not seeking any treatment, one‐half use only prescriptions and one‐third seek only therapy or doctor visits. “As more Americans, especially millennials and adolescents, are diagnosed with major depression each year, it's increasingly important that there's continued research and resources allocated towards new ways to treat depression,” added Nelson.