Clinical depression is expected to become the most expensive disease in healthcare budget in the industrialized part of the world in just next 20 years! Yes, just 20 more years to go. The problem lies in the fact that most of the people are not willing to acknowledge that they are under stress or depression, and therefore, not keen on taking professional help, according to industry representatives. ‘Psychological problems are caused due to many factors like work overload, personal loss, illness, harassment at workplace, job changes, etc. The effects of such issues range from loss of motivation and irritability to tension with colleagues and absenteeism. It is important, therefore, to cope with pressure by adopting effective time management, relaxation techniques and so on,’ said S Kalyanasundaram, director of clinical practice, PPC Worldwide, India.
May, 2012
ArchivesContinuing Drugs and Psychotherapy Benefit Elderly with Depression
If you are an elderly patient of depression, and continue to take medication for two years after the first episode, then you are less likely to have a recurrence of depression, a new study has found. According to University of Pittsburgh researchers led by Dr. Charles Reynolds, of Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, monthly psychotherapy on its own could not forestall a repeat bout of the blues. “It’s not enough to get well… What counts is staying well, and the treatments we have available help people to stay well,” he said. The findings are in the recent New England Journal of Medicine edition.
Young Single Moms More Vulnerable to Depression
In Australia, single mothers who are young are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and harm themselves, than other women, a survey has found. Sole mothers, specially the ones with children aged under 16 are also more likely to take medication — for depression, anxiety or to help them sleep than their married counterparts and women without children, according to researchers. And, do you know, sole mothers made up three per cent of the younger group and two per cent of the middle-aged women? According to the researchers, “Sole motherhood among 22-27 year olds was associated with increased odds of both suicidal thoughts and actual self-harm,” the researchers wrote… One Swedish study has also indicated that the suicide rate among sole mothers is substantially higher than that for partnered mothers.”
Suffering from Depression After Stroke? Exercise is the Only Solution
Here is good news for stroke patients who partake in a therapeutic exercise program. According to the results of a study published the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, they may experience a reduction in depressive symptoms. Depression is common in stroke patients in addition to physical disability. Dr. Sue-Min Lai, of the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, and colleagues point this out. Though in previous studies it has been found that physical exercise can reduce symptoms in depressed patients, the effect of exercise on stroke patients is only known from the present research.
Depressed Moms Increase Depression Risks in Their Kids
Are you a depressed mother? Do you know your depression can affect your kids with? But, you can alleviate or even prevent psychiatric problems in your children, by successfully treating your own depression. This is what a report reported recently. Not only effect but a mother’s continued depression increases her child’s risk of such problems too! It is the first published study to show that a child will benefit if the mother’s depression is treated effectively, researchers said.
Try Different Drugs to Treat Depression Successfully: Study Says
It is found that one in three to four people who do not achieve a full remission of symptoms from an initial antidepressant became symptom-free after changing to or adding a second antidepressant. This is shown in the latest study made by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers. Dr. A. John Rush, vice chairman of clinical sciences and professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern said, “The message to the patient is: ‘Hang in there. If the first treatment does not relieve your symptoms, consider changing or adding another medication. Follow instructions from your doctor, and don’t give up.”
Try Different Drugs to Treat Depression Successfully
It is found that one in three to four people who do not achieve a full remission of symptoms from an initial antidepressant became symptom-free after changing to or adding a second antidepressant. This is shown in the latest study made by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers. Dr. A. John Rush, vice chairman of clinical sciences and professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern said, “The message to the patient is: ‘Hang in there. If the first treatment does not relieve your symptoms, consider changing or adding another medication. Follow instructions from your doctor, and don’t give up.”
Drug Not Enough! Patience, Persistence Crucial In Treating Depression
It is not only the right drug that helps treat depression. Patience and persistence are as crucial in helping treating the depressed. A $US35 million study found that when one antidepressant fails to work, switching to a different drug or adding a second one raises the chance of beating depression. Under real world conditions, it is the largest conducted study. The New England Journal of Medicine reported that no single drug was more effective than another. The key was to keep patients under treatment long enough for a drug to work, which means 12 weeks of treatment before switching. Doctors often change after four, according to the researchers.
Prevent Late-Life Depression: It’s Not Only Possible But Also Worth the Cost!
“Late-life” depression affects as many as 16 percent of older folks. And it harms quality of life, increases the risk of death and costs society a bundle each year. But, preventing the onset of depression during the golden years is not only possible but worth the cost! — A new study shows. Researchers from the Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction in Utrecht write from a public health perspective that preventing late-life depression may be “an attractive, if not imperative, means to generate health gains and reduce future costs.”
Half of Depression Patients Are Cured by Drugs: Study Finds
A $35 million taxpayer-funded study was the largest trial of its kind ever conducted. It provided what industry-sponsored trials have rarely captured:– Rather than merely ask whether patients are getting better, the study asked what patients most care about — whether depression can be made to disappear altogether! Perhaps this was the much awaited study by physicians, patients and the pharmaceutical industry. Depression afflicts 15 million Americans a year, according to government statistics. It is counted that last year that about 189 million prescriptions for antidepressants were written. Because of treatment costs, lost productivity, absenteeism and suicide, the disease costs the nation $83 billion annually.