Early Treatment Of Depression Research Articles

Risk factors for preschool depression: the mediating role of early stressful life events

Family history of mood disorders and stressful life events are both established risk factors for childhood depression. However, the role of mediators in risk trajectories, which are potential targets for intervention, remains understudied. To date, there have been no investigations of mediating relationships between risk factors and very early onset depression, a developmental period during which intervention may be more effective. The current study used regression analyses to examine the relationships between family history of mood disorders and stressful life events as risk factors for depression in a preschool sample. Preschoolers 3.0 to 5.6 years of age participated in a comprehensive mental health assessment. Caregivers were interviewed about their children using a structured diagnostic measure to derive DSM-IV major depressive disorder (MDD) diagnoses and dimensional depression severity scores. Family history of psychiatric disorders and preschoolers' stressful life events was obtained. Both family history and stressful life events predicted depression severity scores 6 months later. Analyses examining the influence of family history of mood disorders and stressful life events on preschoolers' depression severity demonstrated that stressful life events mediated the relationship between family history and preschoolers' depression. Findings outline the key role of exposure to early stressful life events as a mediator of familial mood disorder risk in preschool onset depression. This finding in a preschool sample provides support for the hypothesis that psychosocial factors may have increased importance as mediators of risk in younger age groups. Findings suggest that psychosocial factors should be considered key targets for early intervention in depression.

Chronic Hepatitis C

Purpose: To assess the efficiency of retreatment in chronic hepatitis C patients nonresponders to previous treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin (PEG/R). To characterize the response to retreatment. Methods: Retreatment of 33 patients previously nonresponders to PEG/R (original group of 142 patients with chronic hepatitis C): male gender in 73%; mean age 51,2 ± 11,8 years; genotype 1 in 79%, 3 in 15% and 4 in 6%; mean viral load 962430 ± 1196572UI/mL; fibrosis F0-F2 in 61% and F3-F4 in 39%; previous relapse in 61% and null response in 39%; full dose initial treatment in 61% and insufficient dose (intolerance or low adherence) in 39%. Patients were treated with pegylated interferon (α2a or α2b) different from the initial treatment and ribavirin (1000–1200 mg/day), for 48 (genotype 1/4) or 24 weeks (genotype 3). Measures in order to correct modifiable factors of non response: multidisciplinary team; nurse daily support; use of epoetin; early treatment of depression and other adverse events. Results:TableSVR was lower in genotype 1 (p= 0,03). Null response (NR) was higher in F3-F4 (p= 0,018). SVR was higher in relapsers (p= 0,006). SVR was higher in previous inferior dose of ribavirin (p= 0,001). Conclusions: Retreatment of our group of nonresponders to PEG/R achieved a SVR of 36%. The efficiency of the retreatment was higher in patients with previous inferior dose of ribavirin (67%), relapsers (55%) and genotype ≠1 patients (71%), what resembles the results of naive patients. Those patients with insufficient dose in the initial treatment should be retreated with higher dose of ribavirin (>1000 g/day), if needed with the use of epoietin or other measures to treat adverse events or improve adherence. Those patients with full dose initial treatment had low SVR (11%), nevertheless the SVR was higher in relapsers (29%). None of previous null responders with full dose initial treatment achieved SVR, in these patients new therapeutical regimens should be considered: higher dose, prolonged treatment or combination of new drugs.Table 1: Results: Pooled Data Analysis.

Prevalence of depression and correlates of depressive symptoms among residents in urban area of Jeju Island

Background Recently, various effective and rapid acting treatment modality for depression have been massively developed. So, early detection and early treatment of depression is vitally important to improve community mental health. Using CES-D, primary practitioner can easily find depressive symptoms that can complicate other physical disease. Finding and treating depression early can improve general prognosis of physical disease. The purpose of this study was to find prevalence of depression and depressive symptoms and correlates of depressive symptoms to suggest baseline data.

Depression and multiple sclerosis: Review of a lethal combination

Depression is the most frequent psychiatric disorder in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The etiology of depression is multifactorial and likely associated with psychosocial stress, focal demyelinating lesions, and immune dysfunction. Proper diagnosis and severity assessment are critical prior to initiation of therapy. Patients with suicidal ideation should be referred for immediate psychiatric consultation and be closely monitored. While more therapeutic trials for depression in MS are needed, MS patients have been shown to respond to current antidepressant medications and psychotherapy. Unfortunately, patients with MS and major depression or suicidal thoughts are often underassessed and therefore not diagnosed. Unlike other aspects of MS, depression is treatable. Early intervention in depression can prevent declines in quality of life and even death from suicide. This article reviews the unique features, assessment, and treatment of depression in MS. MS care providers should vigilantly assess depression and suicide risk in their patients.

Creative reminiscence as an early intervention for depression: Results of a pilot project

Reminiscence may help in resolving conflicts from the past and making up the balance of one's life. Life-review may be further enhanced by the creative expression of memories in stories, poems or drawings. In this way people are encouraged to create and discover metaphors, images and stories that symbolically represent the subjective and inner meaning of their lives. In this article, a new intervention, which combines reminiscence and creative expression aimed at early treatment of depression, is described. A pilot project showed that the intervention Searching for the meaning in life may generate small-sized effects in reducing depression. Additionally, it appears to generate effects of medium size in enhancing mastery. Several possible ways to improve the effectiveness of the intervention are described.

The Prevention of Depression in Children: A Pilot Study

AbstractTwenty, fifth- and sixth-grade students who reported mild depressive symptomatology were placed into a brief intervention program. The program was conducted over eight, weekly, 90-minute sessions and aimed to teach students depression management strategies and positive coping skills. Significant reductions in symptoms of depression, anxiety and externalising behaviour were found and maintained for six months. The results lend support to the effectiveness of this brief program for early intervention in depression. The potential for the program to prevent the later development of clinical depression and related problems is discussed.

The Eastern Sydney Perinatal Mental Health Service: A Model for Early Intervention in Depression

The Eastern Sydney Perinatal Mental Health Service: A Model for Early Intervention in Depression

Prevention and early intervention for depression in adolescence and early adult life.

Over the past decade there has been increasing interest in the possibility that early intervention might prevent mental disorders later in life. Indeed, in the United Kingdom the Department of Health recommends that health promotion should be one of the main functions of child mental health services, a suggestion that has been endorsed by professional bodies. It is easy to see why both purchasers and providers of mental health services would be interested in prevention, but will preventive interventions work in practice? This paper discusses the possibility of preventing depressive disorder in late adolescence and early adult life by intervening in childhood and early adolescence. The paper begins with a description of the phenomenology of depression and its risk factors. It then goes on to describe a framework of prevention and within this framework explores whether there is an adequate knowledge base. The general perspective that is presented is one of cautious scepticism. It is argued that difficulties in defining depression and identifying risk factors that can easily be remedied make it unlikely that within the foreseeable future primary prevention programmes will prove to be more effective than treatment and rehabilitation of affected individuals. The possibility that preventive programmes could do harm will also be discussed. The paper concludes with some proposals about appropriate targets for prevention. It is suggested that apart from a few policy areas where there are some relatively harmless measures that could protect from later depression, a balanced preventive programme will give higher priority to treatment services than to those concerned with early intervention.

Correlates of postnatal depression in mothers and fathers.

We compare and contrast some correlates of paternal and maternal depression after the live birth of a first child, as part of a longitudinal study. Fifty-four first-time mothers attending obstetric services in Oporto, Portugal, and 42 of their husbands or partners participated in a longitudinal study of their mental health. All subjects were given a semi-structured clinical interview (SADS) at six months antenatally and at 12 months postnatally and sub-samples were interviewed at three months postnatally. At all these times all the mothers and fathers also completed a translated version of a self-rating scale for depression, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and a series of other questionnaires and interviews to measure different psychosocial variables. Profiles of risk factors associated with depression in the first postnatal year were analysed by means of logistic regressions. In the mothers, aside from a history of depression, the only other powerful predictor of postnatal depression was the mean objective negative impact score of life events. 'Postnatal' depression in fathers was associated with a history of depression in themselves and with the presence of depression in their wives or partners during pregnancy and soon after delivery. Prevention and early treatment of depression in fathers may benefit not only themselves but also their spouses and their children.

Cigarette smoking increases the risk of kidney damage in subjects with type I diabetes

Suicide is a crucial global health concern and effective suicide prevention has long been warranted. Mental illness, especially depression is the highest risk factor of suicide. Suicidal risk is increased in people not only with mental illness but also with physical illnesses, thus medical staff caring for physically-ill patients are also required to manage people with suicidal risk. In the present study, we evaluated our newly developed suicide intervention program among medical staff.We developed a 2-h suicide intervention program for medical staff, based on the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), which had originally been developed for the general population. We conducted this program for 74 medical staff members from 2 hospitals. Changes in knowledge, perceived skills, and confidence in early intervention of depression and suicide-prevention were evaluated using self-reported questionnaires at 3 points; pre-program, immediately after the program, and 1 month after program.This suicide prevention program had significant effects on improving perceived skills and confidence especially among nurses and medical residents. These significant effects lasted even 1 month after the program.Design was a single-arm study with relatively small sample size and short-term follow up.The present study suggests that the major target of this effective program is nurses and medical residents. Future research is required to validate the effects of the program with control groups, and also to assess long-term effectiveness and actual reduction in suicide rates.