The New York Times (7/25, Span) “New Old Age” blog reported that a study published June in the journal Psychiatric Clinics of North America “found that only 19 percent of elders with diagnosed depression who received ‘usual care’ in primary care practices showed substantial improvement.” This can possibly be explained by the fact that “a great majority of older people seek treatment through their primary care doctors, few of whom are able to offer much more than a prescription.” Another study, published last June in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that “as diagnosis rates climbed, more than two-thirds of older patients with depression received antidepressants, but the proportion receiving psychotherapy declined, to less than 15 percent.”

Related Links:

— “More Older People Treated for Depression, “Paula Span, The New York Times, July 25, 2012.

HealthDay (7/25, Preidt) reports, “People with physical health problems ranging from back pain to cancer are three times more likely to seek mental health care than those without such woes,” according to a study published online in the journal Health Services Research. “The study looked at data from more than 6,000 adults who took part in the 2004 and 2005 US Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys.” Notably, “even after omitting people with catastrophic physical conditions, such as cancer, stroke and heart attack, the researchers still found that people with physical health issues were three times more likely to seek mental health care.”

Related Links:

— “Physical Ailments Take Toll on Mental Health: Study, “Robert Preidt, Healthday, July 24, 2012.

In continuing coverage, the AP (7/25) reports that Delaware “Gov. Jack Markell signed a measure Tuesday changing the way emergency mental health screenings are conducted as part of an effort to avoid unnecessary involuntary detentions.” Now, “instead of police taking a person experiencing a mental health crisis to a hospital emergency department in handcuffs,” the new law “allows a psychiatrist or credentialed mental health screener to evaluate a person anywhere.”

Related Links:

— “Markell signs bill on emergency mental health, “AP, Chron.com, July 24, 2012.

The Hill (7/25, Viebeck) “Healthwatch” blog reports, “Adolescent girls reported experiencing depression at three times the rate of their male peers over a recent period,” according to a study released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that relied on data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Specifically, “twelve percent of girls ages 12 to 17 said they experienced a ‘major depressive episode,’ compared with 4.5 percent of boys.” In addition, “SAMHSA noted that the rate of depression among girls appeared to triple between the ages of 12 and 15 from 5.1 percent to 15.2 percent.”

Related Links:

— “Study: More adolescent girls reporting depression than boys, “Elise Viebeck, The Hill, July 24, 2012.

In his opinion column in the New York Times (7/24, A21, Subscription Publication), David Brooks discusses the Aurora tragedy and other “spectacular spree killings” of the past, including the Virginia Tech incident of 2007. Brooks observes, “People who commit spree killings are usually suffering from severe mental disorders. The response, and the way to prevent future episodes, has to start with psychiatry, too.” He concludes, “The best way to prevent killing sprees is with relationships — when one person notices that a relative or neighbor is going off the rails and gets that person treatment before the barbarism takes control.”

Related Links:

— “More Treatment Programs, “Dave Brooks, The New York Times, July 23, 2012.