Is depression overdiagnosed? A study, published in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic, found that almost two-thirds of a sample of 5,000 patients who had been diagnosed with depression didn't actually meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (D.S.M.)'s criteria for the condition. Many patients given prescriptions for antidepressants may be taking medication for
Is depression overdiagnosed? A study, published in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic, found that almost two-thirds of a sample of 5,000 patients who had been diagnosed with depression didn't actually meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (D.S.M.)'s criteria for the condition. Many patients given prescriptions for antidepressants may be taking medication for a condition that they don't actually have. Dr. Ramin Mojtabai, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, says, "It's not only that physicians are prescribing more, the population is demanding more. Feelings of sadness, the stresses of daily life and relationship problems can all cause feelings of upset or sadness that may be passing and not last long. But Americans have become more and more willing to use medication to address them." Ironically, many people who really suffer from depression don't actually seek treatment.
The New York Times, 8/12/13
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