Most people with depression will have to try more than one medication before seeing positive results. Research shows that a medication should be taken for at least eight weeks before adding a second drug or trying a different one.
Adolescents with depression who do not improve after initial treatment with a medication may benefit from trying another medication combined with cognitive behavioral therapy.
Long-term psychodynamic therapy was shown to provide a significant benefit to patients with complex mental disorders, compared to shorter-term therapies.
Although an individual’s reaction to a particular medication cannot be known ahead of time, research suggests that some antidepressant medications are less likely to cause certain side effects than others.
Many people don’t want to discuss suicide. But it has been getting more attention in high schools and on college campuses. The Associated Press (AP) reported on the trend October 9. A 2007 survey of U.S. high school students looked at the issue of suicide. About 16% of those surveyed said they had seriously considered suicide in recent months. Suicide prevention activists have highlighted the issue with events at colleges. AP also interviewed a college student whose award-winning film tells his own story. In Florida, a nonprofit uses social networking to put teens in touch with help. Schools also are becoming more involved. Several states require that they have suicide prevention plans.
Because depression and alcohol dependence are often linked, researchers tested whether the combination of an antidepressant and an alcohol-dependence medication might better help patients with both issues.
People who suffer from gastrointestinal disorders may benefit from one or more forms of psychotherapy treatment.
The phenomenon experienced by people with depression of seeing things as flat, dull, or gray may have a biological explanation.
Studies show that the primary value of regret is that it helps us understand our decisions and put them in context, so that we learn from our mistakes.