Depression: Why Aren't You Getting Treatment? Are you struggling with depression? Are you getting treatment for it? If not, you’re not alone. About two-thirds of people with major depression never seek appropriate treatment, and the consequences can be devastating: personal suffering, missed work, broken marriages, health problems and, in the worst cases, death.

The World Health Organization ranks depression as one of the world’s most disabling diseases. Yet with treatment, 70% of people with clinical depression can improve, often in a matter of weeks.

So what keeps us from seeking help? “It’s hard to find out from folks why they are not coming [for treatment], because if they are not coming, they can’t tell us,” says Kate Muller, PsyD. “But when they do finally get to our offices, they can certainly speak about the things that might have kept them from coming initially.”

Depression Overview