“My baby’s got the lonesome lows, don’t quite go away overnight / Doctor Blind, just prescribe the blue ones. / If the dizzying highs don’t subside overnight / Doctor Blind, just prescribe the red ones.” Click Here

Ten years since the last update and five years in the making, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has updated the practice guidelines for treating patients with major depressive disorder.  Published this month, the APA’s Third Edition includes recommended therapies for both body and mind. With information about electro-convulsive therapy, medications, psychotherapies and even new “evidence based” treatments, the new guidelines even include complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) options.

According the the APA’s publication Psychiatric News: “The process began in 2005 with the appointment of a work group of APA members that included some of our most experienced researchers in the field of depression treatment. The work group, chaired by Alan Gelenberg, M.D., reviewed more than 10,000 studies published since the 2000 edition of the guideline.” In updating these guidelines, the APA-appointed independent panel responsible for reviewing the proposed changes before final approval noted the following:

• No one medication more effective or preferred over other for treating major depression.
• In treating mild and moderate major depressive disorder, both psychotherapy and psychopharmacology weigh in equally.
• For depression that does not respond to treatment, cutting edge techniques such as “transcranial magnetic stimulation and novel pharmacotherapies, including adjunctive second-generation antipsychotics,” are all viable.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH): “Depression is a serious medical illness; it’s not something that you have made up in your head. It’s more than just feeling ‘down in the dumps’ or ‘blue’ for a few days. It’s feeling ‘down’ and ‘low’ and ‘hopeless’ for weeks at a time.”

Symptoms of major depressive disorder may include:

• Very low mood in all aspects of life
• Difficulty in enjoying previously pleasant activities
• Continuous feelings of inappropriate worthlessness, guilt, helplessness and/or self-hatred
• Difficulty concentrating
• Memory difficulties
• Lower sex drive
• Somatic complications such as fatigue, pain and digestive complications

About 80% of individuals with major depressive disorder suffer from insomnia, although in some instances the disorder can cause hypersomnia (too much sleeping).  A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 1 out of 10 individuals in the United States suffer from some level of depression.  In recognition of National Depression Screening Day on October 7, 2010, CDC is highlighting this information.

Sources: Medical News Today; APA; NIH, CDC