Of the large number of people suffering from depression, most of them have reportedly held back in seeking treatment for their mental state.

About 1 in 13 Americans was reportedly suffering from depression at some point between 2009 and 2012, but only 35% of people with severe depression and 20% of those with moderate depression stated they had sought help from a professional, a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reads, according to the LA Times.

Although "the most effective treatment for depression, especially for severe depression" is a combination of medication and therapy, people have strayed from receiving treatment altogether.

The recent findings are reportedly based on interviews with a nationally representative group of American adults and teenagers who participated in the federal government's ongoing National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Responses from people 12 years old and older were reportedly used to make up the recently released report.

Nearly 8% of Americans over age 12 have recently been depressed, according to TIME.

The recent findings have also found that women are reportedly more likely than men to be depressed at any age, and women between 40 and 50 years old had the highest rates of depression among the adults that were studied. Other studies have reportedly suggested that the stressful situations of having to balance work and family responsibilities, including children, may lead to added risk for depression.

Poverty also reportedly seemed to be a factor for those suffering from depression as well. Those living below the federal poverty level were reportedly more than twice as likely to be depressed than those living above the line regardless of race or ethnicity.

"The fact that people aren't getting treatment is disturbing," stated study co-author Laura Pratt, an epidemiologist at the NCHS.

She continued, "People with severe depression should be getting therapy from a mental health professional, and they should also in a lot of cases be on a more complicated medication regimen that requires a psychiatrist to treat them. The fact that only 35% have seen a mental health professional in the last year was pretty alarming."

There are reportedly hopes that the recent findings will encourage those suffering from depression to seek treatment.

"It's serious, it really affects your life and we need to figure out a way to get people treated appropriately," said Pratt.