Can Depression Be Prevented? Yes

Can psychiatric disorders like depression be prevented, instead of just treated? Well, the obvious answer is also the correct one — yes.

Just like we can all do things to help prevent the spread of the flu or cold viruses in the winter (such as washing your hands regularly), there are also scientifically proven techniques that suggest we’re only a short distance from offering more generalized and practical strategies for preventing depression.

Research published in December 2007 looked at 17 research trials that looked at preventative strategies for depression, either for a primary diagnosis, or for relapse prevention after someone had already been diagnosed with depression. After examining the data and conclusions from these 17 studies, the researchers were optimistic:

The research to date suggests that the prevention of major depression is a feasible goal for the 21st century. If depression prevention interventions become a standard part of mental health services, unnecessary suffering due to depression will be greatly reduced.

And why shouldn’t prevention be a reasonable goal for the first part of the 21st century? So much of our energy and efforts go into treatment after-the-fact, we should instead be more focused on helping to reduce this suffering before it even begins.

In a recent telephone survey of Germans (which results may not be world-generalizable),over 75% of the sample agreed on the possibility that depression is preventable (Schomerus, 2008). Of those, 53% stated that they would take part in prevention programs, and in this group over 58% indicated readiness to pay out of their pocket for such programs.

What would people be willing to do to help prevent depression? Psychosocial and lifestyle related measures were preferred, specifically engaging in a more proactive lifestyle, relying on medicine, and relaxing. I’m not sure how “relying on medicine” is considered a preventative measure, and the research abstract doesn’t elaborate.

Higher education reduced willingness to engage in preventative behaviors. But if you’ve experienced depression in the past or think you are at higher risk to get depression in the future increased a person’s willingness to take part in preventive programs.

Seligman et. al. (2007) found that a cognitive-behavioral psychoeducational skills workshop was also helpful in preventing depressive and anxious feelings. Cognitive-behavioral therapy focuses on helping people understand how our irrational (and sometimes unconscious) thoughts can lead to our negative feelings and behaviors.

Today, there are dozens of online programs and self-help articles about how to recognize and help the early signs of depression — signs that if not recognized, can lead to major depression. In the years to come, we hope more and more of these interventions can be better utilized to help actually prevent depression.

References:

Alinne Z. Barrera a; Leandro D. Torres a; Ricardo F. Muñoz a. (2007). Prevention of depression: The state of the science at the beginning of the 21st century. Journal International Review of Psychiatry, 19(6), 655 - 670.

Schomerus, G. et. al. (2008). Public attitudes towards prevention of depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 106(3), 257-263.

Seligman, M. E. P., Schulman, P., & Tryon, A. M. (2007). Group prevention of depression and anxiety symptoms. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 45(6), 1111-1126.

Keep a Simple, Daily Mood Calendar

In the previous post entitled “Is Your Current Bipolar Medication/Therapy Working?” we recommended filling out a form prior to your doctor’s visit to provide detailed information on the effectiveness and possible side effects of your current treatment plan. I think this form is a great tool, and I would love to have patients bring me something this detailed, but if the form seems a little overwhelming, you may prefer a simpler approach - keeping a daily mood calendar. (more…)

Famous Bipolar People Contest Raises Awareness, Encourages Research

Famous bipolar people include some of the world's foremost musicians, actors, writers, composers and scientists. A new contest launched on YouTube uses the current interest in bipolar celebrities to raise awareness about bipolar disorder. The Famous Bipolar People Contest encourages research and reflection. According to contest organizers from www.bipolar-lives.

Facing us

URL: https://www.facingus.org/ Flash-based website from the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) which provides journalling, wellness tools and social support for sufferers of depression and bipolar. For: ConsumersTopics: Bipolar, Depression, Social SupportFeatures: Community and Social Networking, Journaling, Mood Tracking, Multimedia, Self Monitoring (Source: PsychSplash)

Chronic Insomnia linked to psychological problems in adolescents

A recent study by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston concludes that chronic sleeplessness in adolescents is linked to many health problems, including those of a psychological nature. The study involved interviews with 3,134, 11 to 17 year old kids. More than twenty-five percent of the children had one or more symptom of insomnia and half had symptoms of chronic insomnia. An article published on ScienceDaily.com reported on the study in an article titled, “Adolescents with Chronic Insomnia Report ‘Twofold to Fivefold’ Increase in Personal Problems”.

“Insomnia is both common and chronic among adolescents,” wrote lead author Robert E. Roberts, Ph.D., a professor of health promotion and behavioral sciences at The University of Texas School of Public Health. “The data indicate that the burden of insomnia is comparable to that of other psychiatric disorders such as mood, anxiety, disruptive and substance abuse disorders. Chronic insomnia severely impacts future health and functioning of youths.”

Researchers went on to say that adolescents with insomnia are likely to seek medical attention and so the primary care physician would likely be an important instrument in the screening and treatment of insomnia.

Is Your New Bipolar Medication/Therapy Working?

Whenever you have a change in medications or therapies, your moods will improve, worsen, or stay about the same. Documenting how you feel can be a valuable tool in helping you team up with your doctor and therapist to obtain the right combination of medications and therapy. Use the following form to record the most recent change in your treatment plan and in how you feel since the change. (Or download the form as a Word Document.) (more…)

Negligent or ignorant?

  I’m talking about our doctors. I can’t decide if the majority are ignorant and don’t educate themselves in the drugs they give or or if they are negligent and don’t give a rat’s ass what they give us. A patient goes to a psych doc with bipolar,depression,anxiety, etc. The doctor writes a ’script for the latest drug on the market (or the drug that is sold by the best bribing drug rep). The patient thinks, “Hmmm…..he has studied medicine for a long time and has been in practice for X number of years. He must know what he’s doing. So, I’ll trust that he is doing the right thing for me”. Said patient goes home and dutifully pushed the orange/red/yellow/pink/white/blue/green/capsule/pill, etc. down their throat on a regular schedule. Weeks, months, or even years pass and the patient feels that it is time to fly solo—without drugs. So, with high hopes, the patient stops the drug. A day or week goes by and the patient starts to feel really sick…nauseated, aches, pains, dizziness, brain zaps, etc. Must have a virus or the flu, huh? But, the feeling of sickness does not go away. Patient goes back to doc and explains how they are feeling sick. “no problem” “try another drug” “it’s better! it’s the latest on the market!!!” And, like sheep following their shepard, we do. Again. And again. Finally, we wise up and start doing our own research on the meds. Which is something we should have done to begin with. We find out that the majority (if not all) of the pusher’s aka/doc med’s are addictive. And, what’s worse is that even after they stop working (which is much sooner than most people think), the side effects linger on. And, the addiction that you don’t even realize you have is killing your brain. WTF am I talking about? I’ve been on Cymbalta for almost a year. I tried to quit it. I became so sick that I thought that I had a serious health condition. Well, actually, I did/do….it’s called addiciton. I could kick myself. It’s my own fault. I’m smarter than this. I usually research every drug given to me. I did not research Cymbalta’s withdrawal. It’s awful. It kicks your ass. It is without a doubt the worse drug that I have ever tried to get off. I went to several forums and websites about Cymbalta withdrawal and what I found scares the crap out of me….. “well it’s been about 3 months since i decided to come off cymbalta. it took me a month and a half to taper down the dosage to nothing, and the month following was ABSOLUTE HELL. i thought i had MS. i have had 2 MRIs (one for my brain, one for my spine), numerous blood tests, doctor visits, etc. i’ve missed probably a total of 2 weeks of work, have had to take 2 incompletes for courses i’m taking. if you are coming off cymbalta and feel like you’re dying, you’re NOT CRAZY. this withdrawl is horrible and i’m only now starting to feel like i’m doing better, little by little. hang in there. and don’t let anyone tell you it’s all in your head.” “I was on Cymbalta for about 7 months and decided to come off it because of sexual side-effects. I have been off Cymbalta for almost a week, and feel like I could die on the spot! I was on 60mg a day. My GP (who I like and trust, by the way) ‘weaned’ me as follows: 30mg one day then 60mg the next, for 8 days; 30mg every day for 4 days; skip a day, then 30mg; skip a day, then 30mg; then stop. Since I stopped I have had to take 1 day off work - I feel like I should take more but I can’t afford it. I am dizzy all the time, have difficulty with my coordination and speech, have HUGE pain in all my joints and muscles (legs feel like they won’t do what my brain is asking), have had AMAZINGLY VIVID dreams (and the first nightmare that I can ever remember), feel groggy and thick and feel like my eyes are darting around and falling out of my head - they are really sore. I have to drive but last night felt that I shouldn’t have been - whenever I looked in the mirror and back it felt like I got some sort of shock up through my whole body and felt like I should pull in or I would crash ‘cos of blurring. Also very anxious.” So, it looks like I’m gonna have to put on my big-girl panties and deal with this head-on. And, this particular situation, I do believe it was a case of ignorance. I do not think that the PA that prescribed it had any idea of the hell that withdrawal can be. But, you know….there really is no excuse for a medical professional to be negligent or ignorant with screwing with somebody’s brain and life. I’ve learned a hard lesson. I will do research on everything that comes in a pill, capsule, enema, liquid, etc from now on. (Source: bipolar chicks blogging)

Child Psychiatry Videos

Keeping Kids Healthy is an award winning, long running public television program about pediatrics and parenting. Their archives feature lots of half-hour productions about mental illnesses and behavioural issues in children. One, about bipolar disorder in children, is the second most viewed video in my Vodpod collection, with hundreds of views compared to dozens for others. Enter the controversy and learn what pediatricians, parents and their kids say about real life experiences with early onset bipolar disorder (or childhood schizophrenia or ADHD, etc.). Stir up some more buzz…

Unfortunately, although their episodes are all uploaded to Google Video their web site doesn’t link to them. So you need to search a bit. Or, click here to watch the episode on childhood bipolar then go to “more from user” and you’ll see a list of all the uploaded shows. Worth digging around.

Facing Us Multimedia

Facing Us is an online clubhouse created by the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) that hosts some nice multimedia. Remember their video contest last fall? Winners are posted on the site now. First prize went to A piece of me… by S. Braun of New York City. With the soundtrack In the Backseat by Arcade Fire, it’s a curiously joyful abstract montage referencing an anniversary of recovery from a suicide attempt. Cool inventive use of a cell phone cam.

Another feature is 20 Things You Can Do at Low or No Cost to Help You Cope with Depression, Stress, Anxiety or Bipolar Disorder, a streaming audio recording by DBSA CEO Sue Bergeson describing simple and practical tips for anyone who may have difficulty accessing professionals. Things you can do to help yourself. Exercise, of course, is way up there. Journaling, regular sleep, healthy diet. Breathing, relaxation. All that good stuff, and more.

Listen to Low Cost Depression Coping Tips audio recording.

Child psychiatry videos

Keeping Kids Healthy is an award winning, long running public television program about pediatrics and parenting. Their archives feature lots of half-hour productions about mental illnesses and behavioural issues in children. One, about bipolar disorder in children, is the second most viewed video in my Vodpod collection, with hundreds of views compared to dozens for others. Enter the controversy and learn what pediatricians, parents and their kids say about real life experiences with early onset bipolar disorder (or childhood schizophrenia or ADHD, etc.). Stir up some more buzz… Unfortunately, while their videos are all uploaded to Google Video their web site with the episode descriptions doesn’t link to them. So you need to search a bit. Or, click here to watch the episode on childhood bipolar then go to “more from user” and you’ll see a list of all the uploaded shows. Worth digging around. (Source: World of Psychology)

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