Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Physical depression ails ignored  BBC story - "Although most people with depression have physical symptoms, few discuss them with their doctor, a survey shows. More than eight out of 10 will experience fatigue and nearly the same number will have difficulty sleeping, the Depression Alliance found. Yet only two-thirds will raise these issues with their doctor. Doctors urged any person who thought they might be depressed to seek help, and said treatments were available that were extremely effective."  
  

Medication or psychotherapy effective in treating depressed patients when the other is not Press release from JAMA and Archives Journals - "Switching from an antidepressant medication to psychotherapy or vice versa may improve symptoms in chronically depressed patients who prove unresponsive to their initial treatment, according to an article in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. 'A substantial proportion of patients treated for depression do not respond to the initial trial of either an antidepressant medication or depression-targeted psychotherapy,' according to background information in the article. For those resistant to treatment there are several options available, including switching medication, enhancing or combining medications, and switching to or enhancing treatment with psychotherapy."  
  

Response of New York City public school children to September 11 Press release from the Journal of the American Medical Association - "Six months after the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, a high proportion of New York City school children had one or more probable anxiety/depressive disorders, according to an article in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The psychological consequences of a terror attack may be particularly great for children who are exposed to the traumatic event, according to background information in the article. Previous studies have shown that children exposed to mass trauma have elevated post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms as well as symptoms of anxiety and depression..."  
  

Computer Test for Specific Maladaptive Traits Offers Hope for Clearer Diagnosis, Treatment of Personality Disorders University of Buffalo press release - "A new version of a reliable and well-regarded dimensional test for personality disorders developed by a University at Buffalo researcher and clinician may lead to clearer diagnosis of personality disorders and point toward more precise and specific treatment plans for the more than 31 million Americans affected by them. Developed by Leonard Simms, Ph.D., assistant professor and researcher in the Department of Psychology, UB College of Arts and Sciences, the test is a computerized adaptive version of the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality (SNAP), a 375-item schedule developed in 1993 by Lee Anna Clark, Ph.D., of the University of Iowa..."