Study: Mental illness more common than previously projected

On the whole, mental health issues are given short shift in most med-surg settings, with few providers trained to recognize or handle mental health problems efficiently. Here's a finding, however, suggesting that health administrators should give more thought to addressing the healthcare needs of treating mentally-ill patients.

A new study published in the journal Psychological Medicine has concluded that 41 percent of people ages 18 to 32 have experienced clinically significant depression, and that 32 percent were dependent on alcohol. All told, the prevalence of anxiety, depression and addiction may be roughly twice as high as mental health researchers in the U.S. have previously concluded.

Working with colleagues in the UK and New Zealand, Duke University psychologists examined data from a long-term study of more than 1,000 New Zealanders, which tracked them from birth to age 32. Researchers say that this study more accurately captures the prevalence of mental health problems, as most patients underreport the amount of mental illness they've faced if you ask them many years later.

To learn more about this study:
- read this UPI piece

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