I read a very interesting story from The Boston Globe on the above topic (see News section of www.IamBackFromTheBrink.com). In short, it describes how the effectiveness of Prozac was thought to prove the theory that depression occurred because of low levels of serotonin in the brain. Prozac increases serotonin levels and peoples moods seemed to improve following this. There were a couple of interesting findings that left a lot of questions however:

1. When people had their levels of serotonin artificially reduced their was no decline in mood, and
2. Even though Prozac increased serotonin levels within a couple of days there was a substantial lag before mood improvement occurred.

An emerging theory

Instead of of seeing depression as a chemical imbalance, some researchers are saying that it occurs because some of the brains neurons are dying, much like what occurs with Alzeimers. The only difference is that it appears the atrophy that occurs due to depression is reversable.

The effectiveness of Prozac, these scientists say, has little to do with correcting a chemical imbalance, but rather the increased serotonin levels help to heal our neurons, allowing them to thrive again.

If this theory is valid, then it would also help to explain why exercise and nutrition (known brain regenerators) have such a positive effect on mood.

What ever way you cut it, it again really reinforces my view that you must take a multiple strategy approach when managing/overcoming your depression.

Kind Regards

Graeme

Tags: antidepressants, depression, nutrition, serotonin

There was recently a very good article from the Mayo Clinic on taking medication for depression (see News section of www.IamBackFromTheBrink.com ) As highlighted in my last entry, the average doctor does not have great skills in managing mood disorders and we often feel tempted to take things into our own hands when we perceive a medication is not working or there are bad side effects.

Always consult your doctor

I have learnt through bitter experience that it is always better to consult a doctor when stopping or altering the dosage of a medication. There can be very unpleasant side effects if a medication is stopped suddently. I have also experienced the situation where a medication doesn’t appear to be working at a lower dosage, only to have it work well once the dose is increased.

First rule of recovery

The first rule of recovery is to get an accurate diagnosis from a competent mood disorder doctor. They then will be able to determine if antidepressant medication is warranted and prescribe the variant which has the most probability of working.

In my last Blog entry I highlighted the advantages of MAP, a new diagnostic tool from the Blackdog Institute. This week I noticed a new computerised treatment aid for depression being developed in Texas (see News section of www.IamBackFromTheBrink.com) Anything that can aid the average doctor in being a better diagnostician and treater of depression has to be a good thing.

If you have any personal stories about going off depression medication abruptly, I would love to hear them.

Kind Regards

Graeme

Tags: antidepressants, anxiety, depression, side effects

In a recent book by Professor Jane Plant called “Beating Stress, Anxiety and Depression” she lists substantial evidence of how often mental illness is misdiagnosed. (see news story at www.IamBackFromTheBrink.com) I suspect one of the reasons for this is that it is a very inexact science (eg. you can’t take a blood test) and it often takes someone with substantial skill and experience to properly diagnose. Another contributing factor is that some medicines taken for other conditions have depression as a side effect.

When I interviewed over 250 people for my latest book Back from the Brink Too, carers say that their biggest regret is not getting their loved one to a competent doctor sooner to get an accurate diagnosis.

Startling delay in diagnosis

Yesterday, I met with Wendy Williamson from the Blackdog Institute and she told me that it takes 15 years on average from the time someone first presents with syptoms of bipolar till when they are actually diagnosed. There is a lot of unnecessary suffering because of this. I’m not sure what the figures are for depression but I suspect they would be equally worrying. What further complicates things is that different types of depression respond better to different types of drugs. Is it any wonder that some patients and their loved ones are frustrated by trialling drugs that don’t seem to work.

A probable solution

Wendy showed me a new software program developed by the Blackdog Institute called “Mood Assessment Program” or “MAP” which seeks to address this frustrating situation.

The patient is required to sit down and answer a number of questions about their history which takes about an hour. The questions cover the symptoms they are experiencing, their psychological profile, physical health, stressful life events that may contribute to the mood disorder, and what drugs and therapy you have tried.

Save time save suffering

The resulting report provides doctors with a comprehensive overview of your personal experience with depression and provides a probable diagnosis of type of illness you are suffering from. It then presents doctors with the treatments that are most likely to effectively treat depression. The MAP system is in pilot mode at the moment but the results are looking extremely promising. The Blackdog Institute is one of the preeminent mood disorder units in the world and this software allows GP’s, Psychiatrists, and Psychologists to leverage their expertise.

If you have any frustrating experiences about delayed diagnosis or comments on MAP I would like to hear them.

Kind Regards

Graeme

 

Tags: antideppressants, anxiety, bipolar, depression