American government panel has recommended medical health care to cure depression through screening. In past, America has suffered huge financial losses due to depression. Screening as a treatment can aid in reducing or stopping symptoms of depression from coming back. Screening would be used to cure adults, especially pregnant and postpartum women.

This new recommendation is an update to similar recommendation issued in 2009 that targeted adults for depression screening. The suggestion was found published in Journal of the American Medical Association. The panel says people screened should be given accurate diagnosis, effective treatment and appropriate follow-up.

"If you just wait for patients to say they're depressed, you miss a significant number of people who are depressed and would benefit from treatment”, said Dr. Michael Pignone, a USPSTF member and professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, concluded after the panel reviewed previous studies.

The depression disorders, if not diagnosed early, reach to the higher level, where cure cost substantially more. Screening could help in recognizing the problem earlier to offer treatment accordingly. According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), many adults in high income countries suffer from disability mainly due to major depressive disorders. In 2009, treating depression cost U.S. nearly $23 billion and loss of productivity to the country in 2011 is estimated as $23 billion.

Dr. Pignone believes that there is a possibility of minimal harms from depression screening. However, other treatment options are available, so side effects can be overcome by switching to other treatments. Those treatments include medication, psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and even simple observation. The antidepressant drugs and psychotherapy can have positive results on an average adult with depression. CBT is found to be effective for pregnant and postpartum women.