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How Long Should Drug Treatment Of Depression Last?
May 26, 2003Three Italian researchers (Drs Fava, Ruini and Tossani of the University of Bologna) challenge the Australian guidelines for treatment of depression. The beyondblue guidelines for treating depression in primary care by Ellis and Smith are intended to assist both healthcare professionals and consumers. While they provide several helpful indications, they also include some misleading suggestions. The authors state that drug treatment of depression should continue for at least one year for a first episode of depression, and at least two years for repeated episodes or when there are other risk factors for relapse. Maintenance pharmacotherapy has been advocated as an effective tool for reducing relapses and recurrences in major depression. Duration of drug treatment, however, did not seem to affect long-term prognosis once treatment with the drug was discontinued. In fact, after recovery from an index episode of major depression, risk of postdiscontinuation relapse was nearly significantly greater after longer treatment (? = 0.37; P = 0.052).Further, Ellis and Smith fail to mention a vexing clinical problem in maintenance antidepressant treatment: the return of depressive symptoms. However, there is a promising alternative. Treatment of depression by pharmacological means is likely to leave substantial residual symptoms. In randomised controlled trials, cognitive behavioural treatment of residual symptoms was found to significantly improve long-term outcome of recurrent depression and to allow discontinuation of drug therapy. Preventing recurrence in major depression cannot simply be based on prolonging ongoing pharmacological treatment. The belief that a longer course of treatment will result in a more favourable outcome after discontinuation of antidepressant drug therapy is not supported by research evidence. Active collaboration with the patient (in choosing a treatment option, in lifestyle modification, in seeking treatment again when needed) is a crucial, and yet neglected, variable. It can lead to a more rational use of antidepressant drugs and to therapeutic efforts of more enduring quality than those prevailing today. The debate underlies the role of pharmaceutical industry in professional guidelines.
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Journal of
Depression Current Events and Depression News RSSBurnout and mental distress strongly related to errors by US surgeons
Major medical errors self-reported by American surgeons are strongly related to both burnout and depression. Those findings appear today in the online edition of Annals of Surgery. The Mayo Clinic-led study included collaborators from Johns Hopkins and the American College of Surgeons.
Mother's Depression a Risk Factor in Childhood Asthma Symptoms, Study Suggests
Asthma symptoms can worsen in children with depressed mothers, according to research from Johns Hopkins Children's Center published online in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology.
Dispensing prescription drugs in 3-month supplies reduces drug costs by a third
Purchasing prescription drugs in a three-month supply rather than a one-month supply has long been regarded as a way to reduce the cost of drugs for patients and third-party payers. New research from the University of Chicago quantifies the savings for the first time.
New Down syndrome treatment suggested by Stanford/Packard study in mice
At birth, children with Down syndrome aren't developmentally delayed. But as they age, these kids fall behind. Memory deficits inherent in Down syndrome hinder learning, making it hard for the brain to collect experiences needed for normal cognitive development.
At-risk college students reduce HBP, anxiety, depression through Transcendental Meditation
The Transcendental Meditation technique may be an effective method to reduce blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and anger among at-risk college students, according to a new study to be published in the American Journal of Hypertension, December 2009.
Teens' mental health affects how long they stay in school, new study shows
Queen's University researcher Steven Lehrer has won a prestigious international award in recognition of his contributions to health economics.
Ethnic pride may boost African-American teens' mental health
Most adolescents who belong to an ethnic minority group wrestle not only with their self-esteem (like most teens), but also with identity issues unique to their ethnic group, such as dealing with social stigma. A new study tells us that young people's ethnic pride may affect their mental health.
Faulty body clock may make kids bipolar
Malfunctioning circadian clock genes may be responsible for bipolar disorder in children. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Psychiatry found four versions of the regulatory gene RORB that were associated with pediatric bipolar disorder.
Women with asthma feel worse
Women with asthma are more anxious, find it harder to sleep and are more tired during the day than their male counterparts, but nevertheless tend to be better at following their treatment.
Connection between depression and osteoporosis detailed by Hebrew University researchers
Research carried out among thousands of people has shown a clear connection between depression and a loss of bone mass, leading to osteoporosis and fractures.
More Depression Current Events and Depression News Articles
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The Mindful Way through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness by Mark Williams (Author), John Teasdale (Author), Zindel Segal (Author), Jon Kabat-Zinn (Author) If you’ve ever struggled with depression, take heart. Mindfulness, a simple yet powerful way of paying attention to your most difficult emotions and life experiences, can help you break the cycle of chronic unhappiness once and for all. In The Mindful Way through Depression, four uniquely qualified experts explain why our usual attempts to “think” our way out of a bad mood or just “snap out of it” lead us deeper into the downward spiral. Through insightful lessons drawn from both Eastern meditative traditions and cognitive therapy, they demonstrate how to sidestep the mental habits that lead to despair, including rumination and self-blame, so you can face life’s challenges with greater resilience. Jon Kabat-Zinn gently and encouragingly narrates the accompanying CD of guided... |
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The Cognitive Behavioral Workbook for Depression: A Step-by-step Program (Workbook) by William J. Knaus (Author), Albert Ellis (Foreword) In the 1950s, Albert Ellis pioneered a form of psychotherapy that combined ways of detecting and changing irrational thoughts with techniques for replacing negative behaviors with positive ones. This type of cognitive behavioral therapy, called rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) by Ellis, proved especially effective at relieving problems like anger, anxiety, and depression. In this book author William Knaus, a close associate of Ellis, develops the best REBT techniques into a powerful and comprehensive self-help workbook for the treatment of depression. Following in New Harbinger’s tradition, this workbook is written in an easy-to-use, step-by-step format. It offers you powerful strategies for overcoming depression in simple, direct language, amply illustrated with stories... |
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Talking to Depression: Simple Ways To Connect When Someone In Your Life Is Depressed by Claudia J. Strauss (Author), Martha Manning (Foreword) When someone suffers from depression, friends and family members naturally want to help-but too often their good intentions come out all wrong. This practical, compassionate guide helps readers understand exactly what their loved one is going through, and why certain approaches help and others have the potential to do damage. Talking to Depression offers specific advice on what to do and what not to do-and what to say and what not to say-to avoid frustration and give the kind of caring, effective support that will make a difference. |
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Self-Coaching: The Powerful Program to Beat Anxiety and Depression, 2nd Edition, Completely Revised and Updated by Joseph J. Luciani (Author) The simple, untold truth about anxiety and depression is that they are habits of insecurity—and, like all habits, they can be broken. In this new edition of the highly successful Self-Coaching, Dr. Joseph Luciani shows you how to change your way of thinking and develop a healthy, adaptive way of living through his proven Self-Talk strategy for coaching yourself back to health. |
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Undoing Depression by Richard O'Connor (Author) For some people, depression has been a part of their experience for so long that they've begun to believe it's what they are. They become experts at "doing" depression--hiding it, working around it, even achieving great things (but at the price of great struggle, and little satisfaction). In this book, psychotherapist Richard O'Conner shows us how to "undo" depression, by replacing depressive patterns of thinking, relating, and behaving with a new and more effective set of skills. With a truly holistic approach that synthesizes the best of the many schools of thought about this painful disease, O'Conner offers new hope--and new life--for depressives. |
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Amoryn Depression Anxiety Relief (60 Caps) by BioNeurix AMORYN works by increasing the levels of all four of the brain's "feel good" neurotransmitters. By providing an all-natural boost to serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and GABA, the ingredients in AMORYN can help you feel happy, calm, and confident.serotonin levels. As a precursor to serotonin, 5-HTP provides the brain with the "building blocks" needed to produce more serotonin naturally. |
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Overcoming Depression One Step at a Time: The New Behavioral Activation Approach to Getting Your Life Back (New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook) by Michael E., Ph.D. Addis (Author), Christopher R. Martell (Author) Learn breakthrough self-activation techniques to: ·Become more engaged with your life ·Enjoy daily activities ·Feel able to face challenges ·Stop avoiding social situations ·Feel strong and competent again ·Conquer the obstacles that keep depression going ·Stop making decisions based on your moods ·Get back on track with your life goals ·Recognize the habits and patterns that fuel your depression Achieve medication-free recovery Behavioral activation therapy offers effective, fast relief from depression. This powerful and progressive therapy steers away from the idea that depression symptoms represent an illness or weakness. Instead, depression is merely a signpost pointing directly at the things that need to change in one's life. Its engaging... |
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Depression: Out of the Shadows Many Americans are keeping an important, possibly deadly secret: depression. Approximately 15 million American adults live with this devastating disease which affects all age, race, gender, and socioeconomic groups. Through the voices and stories of people living with depression and interviews with scientists, Depression: Out of the Shadows provides a portrait of the disease never before seen on American television. |
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Depression: A Stubborn Darkness--Light for the Path (VantagePoint Books) by Edward T. Welch (Author) Depression: A Stubborn Darkness is Dr. Edward T. Welch's latest release in a series of ground-breaking best-selling counseling books that include When People Are Big and God is Small, Blame It on the Brain?, Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave. Now in its third printing, Welch continues to further his reputation as an author who can speak to general consumers in a language they intuitively connect with on a deeply personal level. Endorsed by Joni Eareckson Tada, and Bob Lepine of FamilyLife, this book is targeted to the 18 million adult Americans who struggle with depression. Compassionate and compelling, the book lays out issues and answers with Welch's world view that faith needs to be interlaced with therapies and medication for conditions categorized as strictly clinical. The author... |
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Depression Fallout: The Impact of Depression on Couples and What You Can Do to Preserve the Bond by Anne Sheffield (Author) What happens to love when a partner is depressed? Is your partner's depression undermining your happiness as a couple? After blaming yourself, losing your self-esteem, and getting angry, you may feel like walking away -- even if you're still in love. With 19 million Americans suffering from depression, you are not alone in your unhappiness. And no one knows what you're going through better than Anne Sheffield, who coined the phrase "depression fallout" in her first book, How You Can Survive When They're Depressed, to describe the emotional toll of depression on spouses, parents, lovers, and children.Sharing essential information, compassion, and street-smart advice, Anne Sheffield tells you: What you need to know about your partner's mental health and what to do about... |
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