Clinical depression medical therapy
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
The treatment of depression is highly individualized to the patient, based on the patient's unique combination of biological, psychological and social health factors and the severity of their condition.[1] The three most conventional treatments for depression include medication, psychotherapy, and Electroconvulsive therapy, however new treatments and less conventional options are also available, including self help, life style changes, and vagus nerve stimulation.[1] If there is an imminent threat of suicide or the patient is a danger to others, hospitalization is employed as an intervention method to keep at-risk individuals safe until they cease to be a danger to themselves or others. At-risk individuals may also be placed in a partial hospitalization therapy, in which the patient sleeps at home but spends most of the day in a psychiatric hospital setting. This intensive treatment usually involves group therapy, individual therapy, medication management, and is used often in the case of children and adolescents.
Medical Therapy
Sufferers of severe depression may benefit from the use of antidepressant drugs. A widely-reported meta-analysis combined 35 clinical trials submitted to the FDA before licensing of four newer antidepressants. The authors found that although the antidepressants were statistically superior to placebo they often did not exceed the NICE criteria for a 'clinically significant' effect. In particular they found that the effect size was very small for moderate depression but increased with severity reaching 'clinical significance' for very severe depression.[2] This result is consistent with the earlier clinical studies where only patients with severe depression benefited from the treatment with a tricyclic antidepressant imipramine or from psychotherapy more than from the placebo treatment.[3][4][5] According to the STAR*D randomized controlled trial, about 50% of patients with major depression have a response and about 30% of have remission of symptoms with usage of citalopram.[6]
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as escitalopram oxalate (Lexapro), citalopram (Celexa), fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft), are the primary medications considered for patients, having fewer side effects than the older monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs).
MAOIs may be the best medication for a small number of patients, however those patients will have to avoid a variety of foods and decongestant medications to reduce the chances of a hypertensive crisis.
Bupropion (Wellbutrin, Zyban), an atypical antidepressant that acts as a norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor, is also considered to be effective in the treatment of depression,[7] without sexual dysfunction or sexual side effects[8] and without weight gain. Bupropion has also been shown to be more effective than SSRIs at improving symptoms such as hypersomnia and fatigue in depressed patients.[9]
After starting medications, treatment should be switched if there is no response within one month.[10]
Stopping medications
Patients are generally advised not to stop taking an antidepressant suddenly and to continue its use for at least four to months to prevent the chance of recurrence.[10] For patients that have chronic depression, medication may need to be continued for the remainder of their life.
Patients should be treated indefinitely if they have "three or more prior major depressive episodes or who have chronic major depressive disorder should proceed to the maintenance phase of treatment after completing the continuation phase."[10]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mayo Clinic Staff (2006-03-06). "Depression Treatment Guide". Mayo Clinic. Retrieved 2007-10-20.
- ↑ Kirsch I, Deacon BJ, Huedo-Medina TB, Scoboria A, Moore TJ, Johnson BT (February 2008). "Initial Severity and Antidepressant Benefits: A Meta-Analysis of Data Submitted to the Food and Drug Administration" (htm). PLoS Medicine. Retrieved 2008-02-26.
- ↑ Elkin I, Shea MT, Watkins JT, Imber SD, Sotsky SM, Collins JF, Glass DR, Pilkonis PA, Leber WR, Docherty JP (1989). "National Institute of Mental Health Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program. General effectiveness of treatments". Arch. Gen. Psychiatry. 46 (11): 971–82, discussion 983. PMID 2684085.
- ↑ Elkin I, Gibbons RD, Shea MT, Sotsky SM, Watkins JT, Pilkonis PA, Hedeker D (1995). "Initial severity and differential treatment outcome in the National Institute of Mental Health Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program". J Consult Clin Psychol. 63 (5): 841–7. PMID 7593878.
- ↑ Sotsky SM, Glass DR, Shea MT, Pilkonis PA, Collins JF, Elkin I, Watkins JT, Imber SD, Leber WR, Moyer J (1991). "Patient predictors of response to psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy: findings in the NIMH Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program". Am J Psychiatry. 148 (8): 997–1008. PMID 1853989.
- ↑ Trivedi MH, Rush AJ, Wisniewski SR, Nierenberg AA, Warden D, Ritz L; et al. (2006). "Evaluation of outcomes with citalopram for depression using measurement-based care in STAR*D: implications for clinical practice". Am J Psychiatry. 163 (1): 28–40. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.163.1.28. PMID 16390886.
- ↑ Fava M, Rush AJ, Thase ME, Clayton A, Stahl SM, Pradko JF, Johnston JA. (2005). "15 years of clinical experience with bupropion HCl: from bupropion to bupropion SR to bupropion XL". Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. 7 (3): 106–113. PMID 16027765.
- ↑ For the review, see: Clayton AH (2003). "Antidepressant-Associated Sexual Dysfunction: A Potentially Avoidable Therapeutic Challenge". Primary Psychiatry. 10 (1): 55–61.
- ↑ Baldwin DS, Papakostas GI (2006). "Symptoms of Fatigue and Sleepiness in Major Depressive Disorder". J Clin Psychiatry. 67 (suppl 6): 9–15. PMID 16848671.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 American Psychiatric Association (APA). Practice guideline for the treatment of patients with major depressive disorder. 3rd ed. Arlington (VA): American Psychiatric Association (APA); 2010 Oct. 152 p. [1170 references]