CVS Has a Top Secret Plan in the Works to Help Ease Your Depression

CVS wants to address depression.
By Michelle Lodge ,

Depression, an illness once only whispered about out in public settings, will soon be addressed head on as the critical medical condition that it is by CVS Health Corp (CVS) - Get Report .

CVS plans to roll out its new program for patients dealing with depression in the next 24 months, it announced during an earnings call on Aug. 8. It is modeled in some ways after its Transform Diabetes Care program, geared to the company's pharmacy benefit management clients, which debuted earlier this year.

Such help couldn't come soon enough for those afflicted by depression.

Like diabetes, depression is a major illness with far-reaching consequences. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the financial toll of depression, including workplace-, direct- and suicide-related costs, was estimated at $210.5 billion in 2010. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, more than 1 out of 20 Americans 12 years of age and older had reported current depression (moderate or severe depressive symptoms in the past two weeks) in the period between 2009 and 2012.

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"Depression is characterized by persistent sadness and sometimes irritability (particularly in children) and is one of the leading causes of disease or injury worldwide for both men and women," according to the CDC. "Depression can cause suffering for depressed individuals and can also have negative effects on their families and the communities in which they live."

The company declined to detail how its depression program will work. But typically, treatment for the illness involves some type of talk therapy with a mental health practitioner, which could include counseling on how to change behavior when it causes problems for the patient and those around him or her, and if necessary, a regime of regular medication, which is prescribed and monitored by a psychiatrist.

The way Transform Diabetes Care works, is that it encourages patients to follow their doctor's orders by taking their medicine, managing their AC1 or blood sugar levels and leading a more healthful lifestyle. CVS estimates that participating patients can save between $3,000 and $5,000 annually on their diabetes treatment. It also offers face-to-face counseling at its some 9,600 pharmacies and more than 1,100 MinuteClinic spots.

That general approach could also help ease depression and its symptoms for some. Stay tuned. 

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Editors' pick: Originally published August 12.

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