| States and those responsible for administering the | | | | we also have new research published in Psychological |
| healthcare service have to make long term plans. With | | | | Science that finds, among young adults up to the age |
| the population rising, they need to predict how many | | | | of 32, 41% suffering clinical depression, 50% with an |
| hospitals and doctors we are going to need in ten | | | | anxiety disorder and 33% with alcohol dependence. |
| years time. This allows time to draw up plans and build. | | | | The idea that conventional wisdom is underestimating |
| It also allows time to increase the number of places in | | | | the scale of the problem by half is a worrying |
| universities to train the doctors. And that’s before | | | | possibility. There’s no doubt that many people do |
| we get to all the other people who are needed to run | | | | not report their illnesses because, without insurance |
| hospitals like nurses. And then who’s going to pay | | | | coverage, they cannot afford to pay for treatment. |
| for it all. Taxes may have to be raised to pay for the | | | | Even if they do seek treatment, they often |
| public services, or insurance companies may have to | | | | “forget” past behavior. This lack of reliable |
| increase their premiums to pay for all the new | | | | information from many patients makes diagnosis more |
| treatments required. Either way, there could be some | | | | difficult than it should be. Of course doctors and |
| big bills coming and plans should be drawn up. Except | | | | psychiatrists could fall back on the default approach. |
| how do you estimate the number of patients? With | | | | Xanax is the first response drug of choice for anxiety |
| something like broken bones, this is reasonably easy. | | | | and panic disorders. Used responsibly in combination |
| You count how many people break their bones now | | | | with counseling and therapy, there’s a very high |
| and, as a percentage of the population, estimate how | | | | rate of success with about 80% of patients finding |
| many will do the same in ten years time. But when it | | | | vastly improved quality of life. Unfortunately, many |
| comes to anxiety and depression, how do you | | | | doctors and their patients simply rely on xanax. This |
| produce reliable estimates? Conventional wisdom says | | | | increases the risk of dependence — withdrawal |
| that, at any one time, about 20% of the population has | | | | symptoms are unpleasant and the forced cost of |
| some level of mental disorder. This can be anxiety, | | | | continuing to take the drug runs down savings. It’s |
| panic or depressive disorders. Or it may include | | | | time for the medical profession to start training for |
| alcoholics and drug addicts as well. It’s appropriate | | | | counselors and behavioral therapists to deal with |
| to ask the question now because psychiatrists are | | | | mental health problems. There are not enough trained |
| debating how to diagnose the different conditions. The | | | | people to deal with the current number of patients. We |
| idea is to produce national standards so that all health | | | | need a better count of how many people to treat so |
| professionals use the same tests to diagnose the | | | | that buildings and trained staff can be put in place over |
| disorders. Like broken bones, this will make it easier to | | | | the next ten and more years. |
| count how many people are affected. By coincidence, | | | | |