Hospital Stays Related to Depression, 2005. Statistical Brief No. 40

摘要

Approximately 9.5 percent of the adult population in the U.S. suffers from depression. Depression is characterized by a persistent low mood, profound sadness, and lack of interest in enjoyable activities. Although many individuals with depression do not seek treatment, among those who do receive care, the treatment settings are varied. The majority will seek care in outpatient or ambulatory settings, but others will need more intense treatment in an inpatient setting such as community hospitals or long-term, residential facilities. With the declining availability of psychiatric beds in specialty facilities, community hospitals have become the primary source of short-term inpatient care for mental health disorders such as depression. This Statistical Brief presents data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) on hospital stays related to depression in 2005. Characteristics of these stays, including associated diagnoses, are compared to stays with no mention of depression. Additionally, trends in the number of hospitalizations for depression as a principal diagnosis and as a secondary diagnosis from 1995 to 2005 are discussed. Finally, utilization is examined by region and expected primary payer. All differences between estimates noted in the text are statistically significant at the 0.05 level or better.