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There has been a significant climb in the prevalence of major depression among adolescents and young adults in recent years -- and the troubling trend may be strongest in teenage girls, according to a new study.
However, the number of adolescents receiving treatment does not appear to follow that same trend, suggests the study, published in the journal Pediatrics on Monday.
"Although a recent federal task force recommended screening for depression in young people 12 to 18 years of age, screening is far from universal," said Dr. Mark Olfson, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center and a co-author of the study. "The new study highlights that most adolescents with depression do not receive treatment for their symptoms and underscores the need for increased attention to this condition."
The national Preventive Services Task Force recommended in February that all primary care doctors, including pediatricians and family physicians, should routinely screen adolescents for depression.