Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Large survey suggests schizophrenia less prevalent than textbooks say Public Library of Science press release at EurekAlert - "Schizophrenia is a devastating mental illness and a major contributor to the global burden of disease, but how many people are actually suffering from the disease worldwide? John McGrath and colleagues from the University of Queensland have conducted the most comprehensive analysis on the topic and now report their findings in the May issue of the international open-access journal PLoS Medicine. The researchers have done what is called a systematic review of the medical literature, which turned out a few surprises. And knowing about prevalence--defined as the number of people suffering from the disease at a given time or within a time interval--of such an important disease is crucial to health policy strategies. They found that schizophrenia is more common in developed than in poorer countries but overall less common than previously thought. Across countries, immigrants have higher rates of the disease than native-born individuals. " See also the full text of the article, "A Systematic Review of the Prevalence of Schizophrenia."  
  

Teenage depression can be enduring, but is more often short-lived UCLA press release at EurekAlert - "Teenage depression is widespread and can become a life-long illness, but is more often transitory, said UCLA Psychology Professor Constance Hammen, who will discuss her research at an invited address May 27 at the American Psychological Society's annual convention in Los Angeles. 'Adolescent depression can be as high as 20 percent or higher,' said Hammen, who has studied depression for more than 30 years. 'While these numbers are alarming, and depression can be impairing, most of the depressions will be short-lived and most of these kids will not go on to have further depression.' "  
  

Depression Treatment Device Sparks Debate AP story at Yahoo - "A tiny device about the size of a pocketwatch has treated hundreds of depression patients in clinical trials across the country. It's on the verge of being the first depression treatment device to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. But the progress comes amid questions about whether the device's Houston-based manufacturer, Cyberonics Inc., has sufficiently proven that it's safe and it works."  
  

The Appropriate Medicalization of the Management of Chemical Addiction A page that provides a link to a Quicktime webcast editorial in Medscape General Medicine by George D. Lundberg, MD - "Diabetes mellitus is a common, serious, chronic, and sometimes disabling disease managed by medications. Osteoarthritis is a common, chronic, and sometimes disabling disease managed by medications and surgery. Heroin addiction is a common, serious chronic disease managed by medication and counseling. Why does that last statement sound odd? It is called stigma. There are strange historical, geographic, and ideologic reasons that have produced bafflingly conflicting and often repressive societal attitudes and public laws in chemical addiction..." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Lesson from the Saga of Selective Serotonin-Reuptake Inhibitors American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy article at Medscape - "...Some have expressed concern about the consequences of taking away much-needed antidepressants from those who may be benefiting from them. Others ask whether SSRIs truly increase the frequency of suicidality and note that such behavior is a symptom of depression. Little emphasized is the fact that, except for fluoxetine, all SSRIs are no more efficacious than placebo when used in children and adolescents. Thus, it is hard to see why any potential increase in suicidality should be tolerated. This debate has once again raised questions about the practice of non-evidence-based medicine in the pediatric population..." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].