DO YOU REALLY NEED ANTIDEPRESSANTS - Newspaper Article

[4Maddie44]

I have just read an article about research in The University of Atlanta, Georgia, on people who have depression.  

Many of us believe that brain scans cannot show if a person is suffering from depression, but this research states otherwise.

Researchers believe that brain activity can indicate whether therapy or medication will be more effective.  Patients with low activity in the anterior insula show improvement with Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT).  Patients with high activity in the anterior insula do better with medication.

At present the current decision on which treatment to use is based on the patient and doctor's personal preference.

Apparently a PET scan measures brain glucose metabolism, which is animportant index of brain function.

Whether this will ever be used in the future on people with depression is a question that was not answered.  But it is interesting to know that a brain scan can show up depression, and ways to treat it.

What do other people think of this research?

[mandy876]

wouldnt that be wonderful.  then you would know what is going on in your brain and the right treatment.  they are coming a long way in the medicalfield for cures.  thanks that is very interesting.  mandy876

[4Maddie44]

I often read articles on the internet about research that is ongoing for mental health problems.  We have come a long way since the asylums of old, but still a long way to go.

Perhaps one day - who knows.  Perhaps one day too there will be a cure for lots of today's illnesses.  But we have come a way.  I remember my children being very ill with measles before there was an inoculation for it.  Smallpox and polio eradicated because of inoculations.

Even flu, we have jabs for now.  And since I have had my yearly flu jab, I have never had flu!!  

So much suffering - and so much research to be done.  But money is the problem isn't it?  It costs a great deal of money to do this research - but people are getting there.

Thank you nursegirl, I missed MedHelp, and wanted to come back.  I am doing really well.

[ugly16]

Thanks for sharing. It is really interesting and informative too as I do not know much about this research on depression.

[nursegirl6572]

I agree completely Maddie.  I hope and pray that the research uncovers clear cut ways to diagnose and treat things like depression.  There are just so many people suffering, and so much of treatment is trial and error.  Wouldn't it be nice to have something like a blood test that told docs exactly what the person was dealing with, and which meds would work for them?  That would be so awesome!

Glad to see you posting Maddie.  Hope you're doing well!

[4Maddie44]

Oh it would be wonderful if it was all clear cut.  Half the time the medical profession are fumbling in the dark about how to treat depression.

At least we are living now, where there is a lot of help.  Years ago we would have been so much worse off if we had depression and other mood disorders.

It is good to know there is ongoing research into mental health problems.

[nursegirl6572]

It is interesting. Researchers have been using various types of diagnostic testing for a while to study the brain and things like depression, other mental illnesses, addiction, etc.  The problem is, nothing is conclusive at this point.  Maybe SOME day they will be able to use something like that to help diagnose and treat depresion, but right now, about all they can surmise is that they can SEE some differences.  

Right now, psychiatry is solely based on theory.  Granted, theory dervied from research, but theories none the less.  Just like the "chemical imbalance" theory...many people think that's a proven fact, it's not.  It's a theory basically "invented" to explain away how antidepressant meds like SSRIs and SNRIs may help to treat depression.


Thanks for sharing that!