The study also found potential problems in the diagnosis of patients. The short amount of time evaluating a patient is not enough to find if they are severely depressed, and the patients do not come to primary care settings consistently. Six to seven minutes is a rush job for getting depression out on the table and for getting the physician to deal with it. Trying to solve problems in such a sort time makes the situation worse for reluctant patients, who are less likely to show up all together. Burg said this prevents their vital continued care.
Racial differences can also add to the problems.
Burg said this is because some white people talk with friends to try to understand why physicians will ask certain questions. This is unlike some black people who understand those questions at face value. Burg believes this is the reason whites in the study had the highest rates of depression. The study's results showed that whites and blacks may be uniquely vulnerable to emotional stressors leading to different disorders. Among unemployed single whites, there was an increase in depression compared to blacks.