CBS Chicago
May 15, 2018
A study by health insurance provider Blue Cross Blue Shield has found that the number of Americans being diagnosed with severe depression has jumped by a staggering 33 percent in recent years.
The Details:
- A study has found that major depression cases have risen by 33 percent since 2013
- Teens and millennials are showing the largest jump in diagnoses
- Doctors are looking at increased social media and electronics use as a cause
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), who insures over 106 million people, reports that major depression cases skyrocketed from 2013 to 2016. The jump is reportedly even more serious among children and young adults, with depression diagnoses rising by 47 percent in millennials and 63 percent in adolescents.
“The high rates for adolescents and millennials could have a substantial health impact for decades to come,” BCBSA chief medical officer Trent Haywood said in a press release.
The organization’s Health of America Report adds that more than nine million Americans with health insurance have been diagnosed with major depression. Women were twice as likely to be diagnosed with major depression than men. The study found that depression was likely linked to other issues that the patient was dealing with, as 85 percent of people diagnosed were also suffering from another chronic condition too.
This article was posted: Tuesday, May 15, 2018 at 6:28 am
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