Tag: depression treatment

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When someone is suffering from depression, a family member is often called upon to help make important treatment decisions.  In the midst of a major depression, your loved one may be too disturbed to make practical decisions about his or her care.

One of the most important decisions to make is the selection of the right depression treatment center to meet your loved one’s needs.  During the screening process, we recommend that you ask the following questions to potential providers:

1. Is the inpatient depression treatment program individualized?

No one wants a cookie-cutter approach to a loved one’s care.  For depression treatment, one size does not fit all. Varying levels of care and types of treatment modalities should be available. Individuals with imminent suicidal risk may require inpatient care, while others may be treated on an outpatient basis. Some patients may respond well to counseling, while others may also need antidepressant medications. The availability of a full treatment menu, with an individualized approach to care, is critical to finding the best treatment options for your loved one.

2. How involved are the patient and family with the inpatient depression treatment program?

Effective treatment programs tend to be ones that actively engage the patient and family in the assessment, planning, and treatment process. Terms like “person-centered” and “family involvement” mean that a center understands the importance of including everyone in the process – not just the professionals.  Even though they are troubled, patients with depression can contribute to an understanding of their illness and are better motivate if they are actively involved in treatment.  Family members can learn ways to better support a loved one coping with a depressive disorder, and they can also benefit from support for their own concerns and frustrations.

3.  What are the depression treatment center staff qualifications?

A professional’s best treatment tools come from a combination of training and experience.  Check the credentials of professional staff on your loved one’s treatment team.  Generally, you should look for clinical staff to have licensure in a professional field such as psychiatry, psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, or counseling.

4.  What types of counseling and therapy for depression are provided?

When most lay people think about psychology, the first name that comes to mind is Sigmund Freud.  While he may have been a pioneer in the treatment of mental disorders, counseling and therapy have come a long way in the past century.  Many counseling techniques developed in the last few decades are designed to work with the negative feelings and self-defeating individuals with depression often have. Current therapeutic approaches considered the most effective with depression include:

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT);
  • Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT);
  • Insight oriented therapy (IOT).

Beware of any provider that considers medication to be the sole method for treating a loved one’s depression. While modern antidepressants can have a very beneficial effect upon resistant depression, treatment should usually include other modalities such as counseling, training, or peer supports.

5.  What is the inpatient depression treatment program’s overall treatment philosophy?

A treatment center should have a clear philosophy about appropriate treatment. In discussing a program’s treatment approach, listen for terms such as the following:

  • Person-centered or patient-centered planning and care (see above);
  • Family involvement (see above);
  • Symptom management – provides patients with tools to help manage their own feelings and behaviors;
  • Least restrictive environment – provides the least intensive level of treatment necessary, while respecting the patient’s freedom;
  • Wellness and recovery – focuses on a total wellness approach to healthy living and a belief that recovery is possible.

Getting the right answers to the above questions can be a productive step in setting your own loved one on a journey to recovery.

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Technology capable of reaching deeper brain areas may provide relief of symptoms for patients resistant to medication

Cincinnati, Ohio – For more than four million Americans in the United States, the symptoms of depression are not relieved by the use of antidepressant medications. This class of depression falls into one of two categories, treatment resistant depression (TRD)or treatment intolerant depression (TID). The TRD group often tries and fails several different types of medications – either alone or in combination – while the TID group has medication side effects so debilitating that they cannot tolerate the treatment.

For these patients, an entirely new type of treatment is being studied at the Lindner Center of HOPE, led by John Hawkins, M.D., chief of psychiatry at the center. The technology, called multicoil repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) or simply TMS, is a non-medication, non-systemic and non-invasive approach to treating depression.

“TMS offers patients that either do not respond to, or cannot tolerate medication, a new treatment option,” said Dr. Hawkins. “Our clinic is currently studying a new approach to this technology and we are hopeful that it will provide relief for these patients that have been suffering from depression in some cases for several years.”

Depression is thought to occur because of less than optimalchemical activity in the brain. TheTMS treatment currently under study by Dr. Hawkins and his team uses multiple magnetic fields, generated by coils placed on a patient’s scalp, to stimulate specific brain regions both on the surface and in deeper regions of the brain. This research is important in understanding whether TMS treatment restores normal brain chemical activity, thereby reducing the symptoms of depression. To date, more than 100 patients have been studied using this approach without the occurrence of serious side effects related to the device.

Depression is a mental disorder characterized by loss of interest or pleasure in activities that were previously enjoyable, a decrease in energy, feelings of low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite and difficultyin concentrating.1 Depression often comes with symptoms of anxiety and these problems can become chronic, substantially impairing the ability of an individual to take care of everyday responsibilities.  On a global scale, depression affects more than 350 million people and is the leading cause of disability worldwide.2

To find out more information about the TMS study at Lindner Center of HOPE contact 513-536-0712 or visit http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01909232.

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1Marcus, M. et al. Depression: A Global Public Health Concern. World Health Organization 2012, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse. http://www.who.int/mental_health/management/depression/who_paper_depression_wfmh_2012.pdf.Accessed 04.6.2013.

2Marcus, M. et al.

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Bringing a baby into the world is usually a joyous occasion for all involved. It is typically a time of excitement and celebration for family, friends and everyone associated with the new parents. But for some new moms, the post-childbirth period is not so pleasant. In fact, roughly 10 to 15 percent of women struggle with severe depression after giving birth.

Beyond the “Baby Blues”

Most women experience emotional swings and intervals of moodiness, irritability, sadness and anxiety after having a baby. These periods are commonly referred to as the “baby blues,” and usually run their course within a week or two before the new mother adjusts her lifestyle and resumes a healthy outlook.

But if these and other symptoms such as tearfulness, fatigue, feelings of hopelessness, constant worrying and depression persist for longer than several weeks, a more serious condition known as “postpartum depression” may exist. Postpartum depression falls into the mood disorders category and can be caused by a variety of physical, emotional and environmental factors. Genetics may also play a role.

Postpartum depression treatment is administered according to each patient’s specific needs and the severity of their case. Generally, treatment begins with psychotherapy in an attempt to uncover the underlying issues surrounding the patient’s condition. Psychotherapy is also conducted to assist patients in getting in touch with what they are feeling, to readjust negative thought patterns and to help them develop effective coping skills.

Antidepressant medications are also part of a postpartum depression treatment plan. But if the newborn is to be breast-fed, this area must be carefully considered and thoroughly discussed between the patient and their doctor to ensure the baby’s health and safety.

Postpartum depression can develop at any time during the first few months after childbirth. If a new mother’s depressive symptoms reach a point where it might be felt that help is needed, a mental health professional should be contacted immediately for guidance.

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This blog is written and published by Lindner Center of HOPE.

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 Mental health problems are the leading cause of disability in the U.S., costing our society countless hours of productivity each year.

The types of mental illnesses are wide-ranging and are classified according to symptoms and characteristics.  It is not always easy to pinpoint a specific mental disorder. This is in part due to similarities between some of the symptoms of various illnesses. Although many established treatment methods have proven to be effective, approaches to treatment are continuously evolving and depend upon circumstances and contributing factors that are unique to each individual.

The Most Prevalent Types of Mental Disorders

Nearly nine percent of Americans suffer from some form of depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Depression falls into the “mood disorders” category and can range from relatively mild depression to potentially debilitating “major depression.”

Other mood disorders include manias and manic disorders — which are indicated by abnormally elevated moods and elation — and bipolar disorders, which carry symptoms such as fluctuations between mania and depression or “mood swings.”

Personality disorders are another common category of mental illness. These are indicated by unstable and socially abnormal behavior patterns and include disorders such as schizophrenia and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Mental illnesses such as OCD and various phobias are often also categorized as anxiety disorders.

The statistics on mental illness in our society are sobering. But the good news is that expertise in the areas of OCD treatment, depression treatment and overall mental health treatment continues to advance. Innovations in research, medications, psychotherapy, behavior modification techniques and the advent of technology such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS treatment) are resulting in increasingly positive results in the treatment of a wide spectrum of mental disorders.