It may be rational for payers to minimize cost of care rather than try to find a better balance between cost of care and outcomes, but that doesn't make it beni

It may be rational for payers to minimize cost of care rather than try to find a better balance between cost of care and outcomes, but that doesn't make it benign. The preferable first line option would be medication + psychotherapy, or at least medication and regular follow up to ensure it's working and adjust dose if needed 6-12 sessions of CBT (NICE recommends 6-8 for mild to moderate depression) with a licensed clinical social worker would be comparable in cost to a year of generic SSRIs. However 55% of US counties don't even have a mental health professional (because payers stopped paying for it), so CBT isn't really an option for many