Understanding the Experience of Patients with Depression in Split Treatment

Rachel Levine Baruch, Fordham University

Abstract

Mental illness pervades and plagues the United States population. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in 2009 there were an estimated 45.1 million adults aged 18 or older in the United States with any mental illness in the past year, representing 19.9% of all adults in this country (SAMHSA, 2010). Within this number of people with mental illness, SAMHSA identified an estimated 11 million adults (4.8%) with Serious Mental Illness, a category constituted by a severe disruption in functioning. In the same year, 14.8 million adults, or 6.5 percent of the United States adult population had at least one Major Depressive Episode (MDE) in the past year in the past year (SAMHSA, 2010). Mental health disorders have a tremendous impact on individuals, families, friends, coworkers and general surroundings of those affected. This is true both of the psychological impact on society, and also of the financial drain on health services and the loss of work force with reports of unemployment for individuals who have experienced at least one major depressive episode (MDE) at 63.2% (SAMHSA, 2009). In response to the prevalent and disruptive force of psychopathology in this country, researchers in the field have been urgently seeking effective treatments, including psychopharmacological, psychotherapeutic, and lifestyle interventions, in an effort to curb this trend.

Subject Area

Psychology

Recommended Citation

Baruch, Rachel Levine, "Understanding the Experience of Patients with Depression in Split Treatment" (2012). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI13851699.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI13851699

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