For clients being prescribed an antidepressant for the first time, here are some important considerations: How the depression presents. There are some 12 subtypes of major depressive disorder, but none of them are reliable predictors of antidepressant response. Nevertheless, there needs to be a starting point for the selection process. For example, is the client’s [...]
The need for viable augmentation strategies to assist in the pharmacological management of treatment-resistant depression has become so dire that clinicians seem to perk up to any option nowadays – regardless of how fly-by-night, “here today gone tomorrow” it may be. This is happening, at least in part, due to the ever-growing problem of suboptimum [...]
Many obese individuals participating in weight reduction programs which emphasize exercise and lifestyle modifications see an improvement in their depression, according to a new review published in February in the International Journal of Obesity. The weight loss programs varied, and included diet-only, exercise-only, and programs emphasizing counseling and behavioral change. Some participants also took medication [...]
Approximately 50 percent of teens treated for depression will relapse within a five year period, according to a new study conducted by Duke University. A research team from Duke’s Department of Behavioral Sciences conducted a study of 86 boys and 110 girls with a mean age of 14 who had taken part in a previous [...]
Think of depression not as a diagnosis, but instead as a cluster of symptoms with many possible causes. Possible causes of clinical depression: Psychosocial stressors. Often referred to as reactive depression, individuals have difficulty adjusting to troublesome environmental stimuli such as a recent divorce, job loss or the death of a family member or close [...]
Q. When diagnosing depression in a client, how concerned should I be about identifying specific depression subtypes? Do specific subtypes suggest different treatment modalities? A. For years now, clinicians have attempted to categorize depressions into “subtypes.” A few examples are: typical vs. atypical, reactive vs. biological and psychotic vs. non-psychotic. There are as many as [...]
What are some of the biggest risk factors for developing depression? The three biggest risk factors for developing depression are: (1) Genetic predisposition. Many individuals that meet criteria for major depressive disorder have a significant family history for depression. Treating clinicians should always thoroughly examine the depressed client’s “family tree” for depression. (2) Environmental events. [...]
- It is important that the non-depressed partner realize that depression can be selfish and manipulative. Depressed partners build a safety net around themselves. They will grant their non-depressed partner access to their cocoon-like existence when they’re up to it, but will often inappropriately rebuff the partner at other times. The important issue here is [...]
- Bright light exposure represents a proven strategy for managing depression. Light receptors in the retina connect to circuits in the brain that regulate circadian rhythm. Sunlight is the prime stimulator of the eyes’ photoreceptors: it triggers a cascade of neurochemical reactions that aid in keeping the “body clock” in synch. Regular bright light exposure [...]
- Six million men suffer from depression each year. Older men with depression tend to live in an “emotional vacuum” by socially isolating themselves and comforting their depression through the use of alcohol. Older men who have never married and men that have lost their spouses are most vulnerable. – Evidence indicates that testosterone [...]