Fewer people in the US are suffering from depression and rates in the over 50 group are in decline.
This is according to the the University of Michigan Health System study, which discovered rates of mental health disorders in the elderly were lowering – even though this group traditionally experiences the highest incidence of these disorders.
It was also recorded that rates of depression in the 80 to 84 age group fell, which is good news for psychological consultants who had previously found people in this category suffered from particularly potent difficulties.
However, Dr Kara Zivin, who is the study’s lead author, sounded a cautionary note and said: “A significant per cent of our population is still experiencing severe symptoms of depression and we need to do more to ensure all of these groups have proper access to treatment.”
In the US, access to help for depression can often be hard to find, as counsellors and psychiatrists charge expensive fees for their services – while most therapy in the UK is completely free.
