Treating depression one step at a time
Dr Biegler argues that the under use of psychotherapy, and the over-prescription of antidepressants, is cause for serious ethical concern.
Most people seeking relief for depression through the healthcare system will receive antidepressants. In the United States alone, nearly 170 million prescriptions for antidepressants were written in 2005, resulting in more than $12 billion in sales.
In his new book, The Ethical Treatment of Depression, Dr Biegler takes aim at the fact that antidepressants can lift mood independent of a person’s understanding of symptoms or stressors. Yet, he points out, nearly 70 per cent of depressive episodes are triggered directly by stressful life events. Moreover, depressed mood causes biased information processing that leads to unrealistic pessimism.
“Despite the dominance of antidepressants in the marketplace and the consulting room, another treatment for depression has proven equally effective – psychotherapy, in particular, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). CBT teaches patients skills for dealing with distressing feelings, negative thoughts, and causal stressors, and in so doing promotes personal autonomy,” said Dr Biegler.
Dr Biegler’s research shows that depression is a disorder in which autonomy is routinely and extensively undermined. He argues that physicians have a moral obligation to promote the autonomy of depressed patients.
“The insights that patients gain from the therapeutic process promote autonomy and so medical practitioners have an ethical imperative to prescribe psychotherapy – CBT in particular – for depression,” said Dr Biegler.
“Doctors who treat depressed people with medication alone, and make no attempt to explore the causes, or tackle them through evidence-based psychotherapy, engage in unethical practice.
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Depression refers to a range of mental conditions characterized by persistent low mood, absence of positive affect (loss of interest and enjoyment in ordinary things and experiences), and a range of associated emotional, cognitive, physical,
All participants received educational materials and completed a depression symptom measure, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), at baseline (before random assignment) and at 4, 8, and 12 months. The treatment group received 1
"My own research has demonstrated high levels of inflammation in a variety of depression models," he added. High levels of inflammation induce depressive symptoms, especially those that are more somatic, such as tiredness, loss of appetite,
Common symptoms of depression in men include fatigue, changes in appetite, sleep disturbances, decreased focus and concentration, and loss of interest in usually pleasurable activities. Other symptoms may include aggression, increased drug or alcohol
Also known as manic depression, it's a chronic condition (no cure) that has appeared in medical literature since the 1800s. Bipolar disorder can be difficult to diagnose because symptoms of other psychiatric disorders can occur with it.
Finding the Right Treatment for Depression symptoms | Health and ...
Worldwide, the increasing rate of suicides is becoming a major point of concern, with most countries and organizations channeling their efforts and resources to analyze trends of suicide and helping people cope with the issue. Depression cases that were not detected or that lacked proper depression treatment caused a majority of these suicides.
Depression may be caused due to several factors. Depression might be in a person’s genes. Sometimes, depression can be induced by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Chemicals called neurotransmitters are responsible to passing messages through the brain. The imbalance of a neurotransmitter called serotonin leads to depression symptoms like heightened mood swings, overeating, sleeplessness and even a tendency to suicide. These are just few examples of the causes of depression. Depression can also be caused by a disturbing event in the person’s past or prolonged use of addictive substances. Successful depression treatment relies on identifying the root problem.
The forms of depression are as wide-ranging as the factors causing it. The different types of depression are: major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder or maniac depression and dysthymia.
Low self esteem, lethargy and continued grief are usually associated with MDD. Depression treatment here consists of counseling and prescribing anti-depressants.
Dysthymia is less severe than MDD and is usually associated with some form of addiction (for example to drugs or alcohol). Most patients suffering from this form of depression learn to live with it and don’t volunteer to get treated. If they do come forward, depression treatment usually involves prescribing antidepressants, mood stabilizers, or anti-anxiety medication
Bipolar disorder is one of the most extreme cases of depression and usually the most dangerous too. A patient suffering from bipolar disorder has sudden mood swings and keeps swaying between an extremely happy and elevated state to (sudden shifts from ecstasy to depression swings from) being down and miserable (despondent). Depression symptoms include dangerous behavior, violent mood swings, and a tendency to commit suicide and/or hurt others. These are usually cases that cannot be left untreated for longer durations as the patients tend to hurt themselves or others as the illness becomes more severe. Depression treatment includes prescribing anti depressants, mood stabilizers and in extreme cases, confinement.
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