Number of Americans taking antidepressants doubles

A research finding recently reports a contradiction, that the use of antidepressants has doubled over ten years (to 27 MILLION!), while the number of people seeking professional help has declined. The irony is that, as our understanding of some of the biological processes of depression has grown and with that knowledge a surge in new medicines, our nation would seem to be experiencing more depression than ever.

You might want to review the article to learn...

• What percentage of Americans now are prescribed an antidepressant? Does the number alarm you?
• What does the increase in the use of medication potentially mean?
• What are some of the other (off-label) uses of antidepressants? Why do you imagine that these medications might be used in that way?
• What does the article suggest as the reason why more people are asking for an antidepressant?

Here's the link to the original article...

Number of Americans taking antidepressants doubles
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-08-03-antidepressants_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

Human services workers will benefit by having thorough knowledge of depression, and the separate ways in which medication and psychotherapy work to alleviate suffering from this disorder.

-Jeff

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Peer counseling may help women with postpartum depression

Sometimes the most potent part of our helping role in human services comes from the journey of our own experiences. This is a core strength of group counseling and peer counseling.

A recent study looked at the potential benefit of peer counseling for women with postpartum depression. When exploring this article, consider the following...

• What are some of the symptoms of postpartum depression?
• How were peers utilized to help new mothers?
• What scale was used to quantify the strength of the depression? What does it measure?
• What kind of training would you think would be helpful to someone considering volunteer work as a peer counselor? Have you ever provided peer counseling?

Here's a link to the article...

Peer counseling may help women with postpartum depression
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/01/peer-counseling.html

This is a great reminder that you can be a healing part of others' lives at any level of training.
-Jeff
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Panel tries to help teens in depression

Adolescence can be a time of strong emotions, conflict and self doubt. Universal to this developmental stage is the experience of occasional (yet transient) sadness and hopelessness. Perhaps because "the teenage blues" are so common and short-lived, there may be a tendency to discount or misjudge the frequency and impact of clinical depression in children.
This article reports on the findings of a health research panel on the importance of conducting depression screening with adolesents.

• What percentage of the teen population are estimated to experience clinical depression?
• What were the recommendations of the panel?
• Why is now a pivotal time in addressing this issue?
• Read more about the panel's findings, including the names of the two questionnaires referenced in the article, at: http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstf09/depression/chdeprrs.htm

Here's the link to the source article...

Panel tries to help depression
http://headlines.ocregister.com/news/depression-19890-health-children.html

We could all use a reminder that developmental crises might also mask other emotional disorders.
-Jeff
>>> please report broken links to the professor
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to leave a comment for extra credit, click on the "comments" link below this paragraph,
and then follow the instructions on the page "How to Utilize This Blog"
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