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Post by Elham Rahmani on Aug 20, 2015 16:42:40 GMT -4
This article atracts attention to two very important points: 1. We actually do not know what causes depression yet 2. Now that we do not know the exact cause of depression we have two options for dealing with it: A) treating a general and vague syndrome B) treating symptoms . Something which was really interesting for me while reading this article was that I noticed each provider in PACT ATLANTA seems to have a favorite strategy amang A or B. Some tend to treat the symptoms while others tend to treat the diagnosis. This article made me start to think which of these two approaches might be my choice in the future as a psychiatrist.
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Post by Fadie Michael on Aug 20, 2015 16:47:44 GMT -4
But I think the thrust of the article is that effective diagnosis of depression (and other psychological disruptions or disorders) requires an updated, more rigorous research approach that can result in better treatment options for each individual. Such options might well include pharmaceuticals but might not. Again, what works for one person may not for another. That's already the case. One person might better manage depression through diet, a physical exercise routine, a change of work or home environment, in conjunction with cognitive coaching. Another person might respond well to a similar combination but with the addition of a particular drug. One size doesn't fit all.
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Claire-Louise Young
Guest
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Post by Claire-Louise Young on Aug 22, 2015 16:51:19 GMT -4
Depression as we know it may be diagnosed by a cluster of symptoms (SIGECAPS), it may be a situational problem (e.g death of a loved one), it may be secondary to a a condition (e.g pancreatic cancer) or it may have a genetic component (e.g running in families) either way the commonality is that depression is defined as a depressed mood. Currently, we define depression as a cluster of symptoms but if we took the approach to defining depression by its cause we may have a greater affect at treatment regimens. As it said that not all depression patients have low serotonin but defining the situation that the “depressed mood” is coinciding with, we may have a better chance of treating patients for the long term. For example, Depressed mood - environmental stressor may have a different connotation treatment-wise than depressed mood- genetic component.
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