Looking Ahead

It was estimated in 2002 that 18 to 20 million Americans experience depression, but that only 3 million of those were properly diagnosed and treated. Any change in this alarming gap?

Good things are happening. We are helping to make them happen. One decade ago, perhaps only 7 to 10 percent of those with the illness were found and treated. Because of recent programs, media publications, Web sites, and such initiatives as the Depression Center, 15 to 20 percent of those with the disorder are now found and treated. While we are headed in the right direction, the size of that gap remains alarming.