Majority of America’s 2 Million Adolescents Suffering from Depression Episodes Did Not Receive Treatment in the Past Year

Adolescents without health insurance were less than half as likely to get treatment as those with Medicaid/Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) or private health insurance coverage.

A new report which coincides with Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day reveals that 8.2 percent (2 million) youths aged 12 to 17 experienced at least one major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year. Only about two-fifths (38.9 percent) of these adolescents received treatment during this period according to the report by the Substance Abuse and mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The report also found that health insurance coverage seemed to be a major factor in determining whether adolescents experiencing MDEs in the past year received treatment. Among these adolescents, those without health insurance coverage were far less likely to have received treatment (17.2 percent) than those with Medicaid/CHIP (42.9 percent) or private health insurance (40.6 percent).

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