Mental Health Month Sheds Light On A Worldwide Illness

“May is Mental Health Month, bringing to light the mental illnesses around us that are seldom talked about publicly. In a timely article in the World Economic Forum, writer Adam Jezard states ??ore than 300 million people worldwide suffer from depression, an increase of more than 18% between 2005 and 2015. Meanwhile, 260 million people suffer from anxiety disorders. Many live with both conditions.??

According to the World Health Organization, the cost to the global economy is in excess of $1 trillion in terms of lost productivity. Depression is the leading cause of ill health and disability and suicide.

 In the United States, Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) found that major depressive disorder (MDD) diagnosis had risen 33% since 2013, with alarming rates of 47% for male adolescents and 65% for female adolescents! ??CBS said major depression has a diagnosis rate of 4.4%, affecting more than 9 million commercially insured Americans. Women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with mental illness (6% versus 3%).??/div>

 

 

Where you live also seems to affect MDD diagnosis as well. Hawaii is on the low end with approximately 2% per 100,000 people, with Utah, Minnesota, and Maine on the high end with roughly 6% in a 2016 report by Mental Health America (MHA).

 

 

 

Another factor is the level of stress in the workplace and at home. Given the high levels of MDD in adolescents, it seems safe to consider the school environment as their workplace. Jezard states, ??uch of the blame for depression and poor mental health is based on the experiences employees have in US workplaces, according to a 2017 Mental Health America (MHA) study of 17,000 employees across 19 industries.

? A lack of employer support contributes to higher levels of workplace stress and isolation.

? These factors strongly correlated with job dissatisfaction

? 33% of respondents reporting high absenteeism rates

? 81% of respondents reported work-family conflicts

? 63% suffered increased mental health and behavioral problems.??/p>

 

The Stigma of Mental Illness

Sadly, there is a stigma associated with mental illness and depression in particular. While many public figures have shared their struggles with depression through various media, most live with the illness and never get treatment. When people do get medical help, the first line of defense is still in the form of prescribed medications. What most people don?? realize is that with every failed trial of antidepressants, the likelihood of remission drops further on the second, third, and fourth attempts to control the illness, as shown in the Star-D Study by the National Institute of Mental Health. 

 

 

Antidepressant not working? Are there drug-free options?

One non-drug option for treatment-resistant depression is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). FDA-cleared since 2008, TMS has been used in over 2 million treatments, with the only side effect being possible discomfort of the scalp or slight headache during the first week of treatment.

Currently, TMS treatment of depression is covered by most insurance carriers, including Medicare and the VA. TMS was also recently cleared by the FDA for treatment of the obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). TMS is also being used off label (meaning it isn?? covered by insurance, but can be used on a cash pay basis) to treat PTSD, tinnitus, with testing being done in the treatment of Autism and Parkinson?? disease.

For those suffering from treatment-resistant depression and looking for solutions where medication either isn?? working or the side effects aren?? tolerable, consider TMS therapy. Ask your doctor about TMS, or if you live in Colorado, Utah, Eastern Washington or Southern Wyoming, click the button below to schedule a time with a TMS Solutions Patient Advocate to find out if TMS therapy may be right for you.