 |
|
Antidepressants aid electroconvulsive therapy in treating severe depression
July 07, 2009WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Combining antidepressant drugs with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) does a better job of reducing symptoms of severe depression and causes less memory loss than using ECT alone, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues.
This finding could alleviate one of the primary concerns about ECT - that it causes memory loss, said W. Vaughn McCall, M.D., M.S, professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine and the principal investigator for the study's Wake Forest Baptist site.
The full study appears in the current issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, published today.
ECT uses an electrical stimulus to the brain to induce seizures. It is prescribed for patients with crisis-level severe depression - who are catatonic (people who are so slowed down that they stop moving, talking and eating) or suicidal - or for patients with major depression who have not responded to medication. Electrodes attached to the head deliver the stimulus and patients are anesthetized and receive muscle relaxants during the procedure.
Patients receiving ECT often experience some memory loss that usually improves within days of treatment.
Researchers wanted to find a way to increase the effectiveness of ECT while reducing the side effects of memory loss.
"Although ECT remains a powerful treatment, there is still a significant proportion of patients that do not respond - recent statistics show a 70 to 80 percent response rate," McCall said. "Even in patients who do respond, there still is a significant risk of relapse. Patients may become ill again with depression within a matter of weeks to a few months after ECT."
The study is the first of its size to evaluate the use of antidepressants with ECT. Because of a lack of prior information on the topic of combining antidepressant medications with ECT, the American Psychiatric Association has not recommended routinely combining antidepressants with ECT.
The research was studied at several sites including Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Columbia University in New York, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Pittsburgh. It was coordinated by researchers at Columbia.
After consenting to the treatment, 319 patients received either a placebo or one of two antidepressants: nortriptyline, an older, generic drug, or venlafaxine, a newer drug that is sold under the brand name EffexorTM. The patients also received at least one form of ECT - either bilateral, stimulating both sides of the brain, or unilateral, affecting only the right side to keep the stimulus away from the verbal learning centers in the left side of the brain. Unilateral ECT is generally believed to cause less memory loss than bilateral ECT, but some investigators believed that unilateral ECT did not treat the depression symptoms as well.
Following treatment, patients were evaluated using a series of tests for changes in their depression symptoms and for memory loss.
The researchers found that using either antidepressant during ECT improved depression more than ECT alone. Moreover, patients who received nortriptyline during ECT had fewer memory problems compared with the venlafaxine group. Researchers also found that using a high dose of unilateral ECT on the right side of the brain was as effective as or superior to treating depression with moderate-dose bilateral ECT and still spared memory loss.
"We've been doing research for the last 10 years to find a way to make unilateral stimulation work as well as bilateral," McCall said. "We finally did that in this study."
The next step in this line of research, McCall said, is to evaluate the long-term effects of the treatment.
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
ECT uses an electrical stimulus to the brain to induce seizures. It is prescribed for patients with crisis-level severe depression - who are catatonic (people who are so slowed down that they stop moving, talking and eating) or suicidal - or for patients with major depression who have not responded to medication. Electrodes attached to the head deliver the stimulus and patients are anesthetized and receive muscle relaxants during the procedure.
Patients receiving ECT often experience some memory loss that usually improves within days of treatment.
Researchers wanted to find a way to increase the effectiveness of ECT while reducing the side effects of memory loss.
"Although ECT remains a powerful treatment, there is still a significant proportion of patients that do not respond - recent statistics show a 70 to 80 percent response rate," McCall said. "Even in patients who do respond, there still is a significant risk of relapse. Patients may become ill again with depression within a matter of weeks to a few months after ECT."
The study is the first of its size to evaluate the use of antidepressants with ECT. Because of a lack of prior information on the topic of combining antidepressant medications with ECT, the American Psychiatric Association has not recommended routinely combining antidepressants with ECT.
The research was studied at several sites including Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Columbia University in New York, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Pittsburgh. It was coordinated by researchers at Columbia.
After consenting to the treatment, 319 patients received either a placebo or one of two antidepressants: nortriptyline, an older, generic drug, or venlafaxine, a newer drug that is sold under the brand name EffexorTM. The patients also received at least one form of ECT - either bilateral, stimulating both sides of the brain, or unilateral, affecting only the right side to keep the stimulus away from the verbal learning centers in the left side of the brain. Unilateral ECT is generally believed to cause less memory loss than bilateral ECT, but some investigators believed that unilateral ECT did not treat the depression symptoms as well.
Following treatment, patients were evaluated using a series of tests for changes in their depression symptoms and for memory loss.
The researchers found that using either antidepressant during ECT improved depression more than ECT alone. Moreover, patients who received nortriptyline during ECT had fewer memory problems compared with the venlafaxine group. Researchers also found that using a high dose of unilateral ECT on the right side of the brain was as effective as or superior to treating depression with moderate-dose bilateral ECT and still spared memory loss.
"We've been doing research for the last 10 years to find a way to make unilateral stimulation work as well as bilateral," McCall said. "We finally did that in this study."
The next step in this line of research, McCall said, is to evaluate the long-term effects of the treatment.
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
Depression Current Events and Depression News RSSMother'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.
Reduced muscle strength associated with risk for Alzheimer's
Individuals with weaker muscles appear to have a higher risk for Alzheimer's disease and declines in cognitive function over time, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
More Depression Current Events and Depression News Articles
 |
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... |
 |
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... |
 |
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. |
 |
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. |
 |
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. |
 |
Undoing Depression: What Therapy Doesn't Teach You and Medication Can't Give You by Richard O'Connor (Author) Like heart disease, says psychotherapist Richard O'Connor, depression is fueled by complex and interrelated factors: genetic, biochemical, environmental. In this refreshingly sensible book, O'Connor focuses on an additional factor often overlooked: our own habits. Unwittingly we get good at depression. We learn how to hide it, how to work around it. We may even achieve great things, but with constant struggle rather than satisfaction. Relying on these methods to make it through each day, we deprive ourselves of true recovery, of deep joy and healthy emotion. UNDOING DEPRESSION teaches us how to replace depressive patterns with a new and more effective set of skills. We already know how to "do" depression-and we can learn how to undo it. With a truly holistic approach that... |
 |
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. |
 |
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... |
 |
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... |
 |
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... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |