Rather than treating only the depressed adult, health-care and mental-health professionals should evaluate the fallout of the depression on the entire family, particularly children, and design treatment programs with everyone in mind, according to the report that was to be released Wednesday.
While depressed parents don't necessarily harm their children -- deliberately or inadvertently -- studies have shown parental depression can increase the chances of children having health, emotional and behavioral problems.
Only one-third of adult sufferers seek treatment for their depression, which means their children probably won't get treatment either.
Removing barriers to coordinating care across agencies and service providers, asking patients with depression if they have children and if their depression affects family members and requiring health plans to cover a greater range of mental-health services would help put the focus on the family, according to the report.
To help protect children from the negative impact of parental depression, the report suggested that Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) extend Medicaid services for new mothers to two years after birth, a critical period of development.
CMS could reimburse primary-care providers for mental-health services and cover preventive services for children at risk of developing problems, rather than cover treatment only after problems occur.
The study was sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, California Endowment, U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
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