New Approaches To Managing Depression

[Guest guest]

New Approaches To Managing Depression

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=51036

Most people who seek help for depression first visit their primary

care doctors. So these professionals, along with mental health

professionals and insurers, have been looking for ways to better

identify and treat depression in the primary care setting, reports

the September issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter.

Depressed patients are often reluctant to bring up the subject with

their doctors, so a short but valid screening test could help with

detection and diagnosis. The Mental Health Letter says doctors might

start by asking patients two questions: Over the past two weeks, have

you felt down, depressed, or hopeless? Over the past two weeks, have

you felt little interest or pleasure in doing what you normally do?

Studies suggest that almost every patient who needs treatment for

depression will answer yes to at least one of these questions.

Other new approaches focus on managing the treatment of depressed

patients. In one program, for example, a depression care manager

provided telephone checkups and a relapse prevention plan, and

patients were referred to a psychiatrist if they did not improve.

Nearly half of patients in the program showed a reduction of at least

50% in depressive symptoms, compared with 19% in usual care, and

differences persisted even a year after the program ended.

Two general reviews covering dozens of studies have found that

depressed patients in management programs are more likely to comply

with treatment and more satisfied with the results. " Thankfully,

attitudes toward depression have improved over the last 20 years,

which has opened up the possibility for wider use of care management

systems, " says Dr. , editor in chief of the Harvard

Mental Health Letter.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/3/2006 9:49:14 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,

fijiwigged@... writes: " Depressed patients are often reluctant to bring up

the subject with their doctors, "

This was VERY true in my case. I was so ashamed of not being able to pull myself

out of it that I didn't ask my doctor for help. I suffered way way to long. Aww

but when you are depressed everything seems hard.