Stigma is less prevalent now than it was 20 or 30 years ago, but people still often equate depression with weakness, explained Michael Thase, MD, professor of psychiatry and director of the Mood and Anxiety Program at the University of Pennsylvania.
Stigma is less prevalent now than it was 20 or 30 years ago, but people still often equate depression with weakness, explained Michael Thase, MD, professor of psychiatry and director of the Mood and Anxiety Program at the University of Pennsylvania.
TranscriptHow prevalent is stigma surrounding major depressive disorder?
I think stigma is less prevalent today than it was 20 or 30 years ago, and there have been efforts, including the National Institute of Mental Health’s DART [Depression Awareness, Recognition and Treatment] Program in the 1980s and 1990s. I think efforts of the pharmaceutical industry through director-to-consumer advertisement is one way of kind of making treatments that are known to work more known to our patients.
Nevertheless, people often still equate the term depression with weakness and believe strategies like pulling yourself up by your boot straps or simply not telling anyone about it and hoping it will go away will be remedies. Because some episodes of depression do remit without treatment—the spontaneous remission rates are maybe as high as 30% or 40% across a year. People, if they do wait and see or just hope, sometimes do get better. But, each month you suffer with depression, each month it goes untreated, your kids suffer, your job suffers because depression is the largest cause of presenteeism and absenteeism in the workplace.
So, the impact of the illness tends to build, and in the long run, that makes it harder to treat.
The Push for Fair Pricing and Reform in Pharmacy Benefit Management
April 3rd 2025Amid growing legislative pressures and industry debates, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are exploring new strategies to enhance transparency, reduce patient costs, and navigate the evolving healthcare landscape.
Read More
The Importance of Examining and Preventing Atrial Fibrillation
August 29th 2023At this year’s American Society for Preventive Cardiology Congress on CVD Prevention, Emelia J. Benjamin, MD, ScM, delivered the Honorary Fellow Award Lecture, “The Imperative to Focus on the Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation,” as the recipient of this year’s Honorary Fellow of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology award.
Listen
Using AI-Driven Strategies to Optimize Specialty Drug Costs, Manage Polypharmacy
April 2nd 2025As health care costs continue to rise, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven solutions are emerging as a powerful tool for managing specialty drug spending and polypharmacy risks, as showcased in recent research presented at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy 2025 conference.
Read More
Promoting Equity in Public Health: Policy, Investment, and Community Engagement Solutions
June 28th 2022On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Georges C. Benjamin, MD, executive director of the American Public Health Association, on the core takeaways of his keynote session at AHIP 2022 on public health policy and other solutions to promote equitable health and well-being.
Listen
How Recent Federal Policy Changes Are Shaping Managed Care Pharmacy
April 2nd 2025Federal legislative and regulatory changes are reshaping pharmacy practice, with key challenges in government funding, pharmacy benefit manager reform, and health care policy shifts—topics explored by experts at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy's annual meeting.
Read More
The IRA’s Unintended Consequences for Drug Pricing and Coverage
April 2nd 2025The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) may be restricting Medicare Part D formularies, increasing patient costs, and stifling pharmaceutical innovation, experts warned at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy 2025 annual meeting.
Read More