Studies have revealed that at any point in time, about 6 percent of the population will have a significant depression and only 20 to 25 percent of these people ever seek help. Given those statistics it’s no surprise that the World Health Organization (WHO) named depression the number one cause of disability in the world, in terms of years lived with disability (YLDs).
According to Ricardo Muñoz, PhD, in the department of psychiatry at UCSF and director of the UCSF/SFGH Internet World Health Research Center, the health care system should be providing access to depression intervention programs.
In his recent article, “Major Depression Can Be Prevented,” which appears in a special section of the May-June 2012 issue of the American Psychologist, Muñoz and co-authors provide a road map for what needs to be accomplished in the next 10 years to make headway against depression.
Previous studies suggest that 22 percent to 38 percent of major depressive episodes could be prevented with currently available interventions, according to Muñoz.
Facts from the World Health Organization (WHO)
- Depression is common, affecting about 121 million people worldwide.
- Depression is among the leading causes of disability worldwide.
- Depression can be reliably diagnosed and treated in primary care.
- Fewer than 25 percent of those affected have access to effective treatments.
Muñoz and co-authors William Beardslee, MD, professor of child psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Yan Leykin, PhD, assistant adjunct professor in the department of psychiatry at UCSF, are calling their article a “call to action for the health care system.” The article builds on a 2009 Institute of Medicine report on prevention of mental, emotional and behavioral disorders, which provided evidence that mental disorders can be prevented.
“Very few people are aware that depression can be prevented, including professionals in the field, and there are very few preventive services,” said Muñoz in a press release from UCSF.
“The healthcare system is set up to pay providers for treatment. It has not been set up to pay providers for prevention of mental disorders,” said Muñoz. “Without financial incentives for prevention, few professionals will engage in preventive interventions. It’s a major structural obstacle.”
Muñoz and his co-authors advocate teaching people mood management skills, shown to be effective for the treatment of depression. “Why wait until people are seriously depressed to teach them these skills?” said Muñoz. “If we can teach these skills earlier, serious depression can be prevented and we could reduce unnecessary suffering significantly.”
In addition to cognitive-behavioral or interpersonal psychotherapy methods, one of the “nontraditional” mood management interventions mentioned in the article is an internet-based program using cognitive-behavioral tools. At six months the intervention was found to reduce relapse in the experimental group to 10.5 percent of the participants, versus 37.8 percent in the control group.
The article offers a set of guidelines to help decrease the number of people affected by depression, which includes identifying high-risk individuals and ultimately striving to reduce new cases of depression by half. Those at high risk include: (1) people who have already had a major depressive episode – the likelihood of having a repeat episode is increased and can lead to chronic or recurrent depression; (2) recognizing that depression may be a family illness – parents who have had depressive episodes should consider the needs of their children; and (3) stressful life events often trigger depression -therefore, managing stress in an effective way through mood management techniques can be beneficial.
As mentioned in the article, a great way to manage mood is through cognitive boosting games such as those in our Amen Solution @ Home 24/7 Brain Gym. Our suite of training programs is designed to optimize the brain across Emotion, Thinking, Feeling and Self-Regulation processes. This approach uses the latest knowledge about the interconnected nature of the brain. You also get a brain assessment to see how your brain functions and personalized training programs based on your results and personal goals.
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Source: http://www.mybrainsolutions.com/library/2012/06/depression-intervention/?utm_source=MyBrainSolutions+Monthly+Newsletter&utm_campaign=64a7c35382-June_2012_Newsletter_Week_26_11_2012&utm_medium=email
I would suggest the Depression Intervention go deeper than just symptomatic, and treat the spiritual starvation that is at the core of our individual, cultural, and economic depression. Here is a piece from Chapter 6 of my book, Our Culture On The Couch – 7 Steps to Global Healing:
Differential Diagnosis #6 – Spiritual Starvation / Malnutrition
Could we be dealing with a nutritional disorder? Lets consider that our present illness might possibly be the result of a kind of spiritual starvation.
To a remarkable degree, most of us are failing in the all-important task of seeing what is good in ourselves, in our communities, and in our world – and nurturing it. On the other hand, we are also failing to determine those things that are truly dangerous to our health or survival, and effectively neutralize them.
These two failures seem to arise as a result of spiritual abuse so many people have experienced in childhood. At all times, the competent parent, teacher, or caregiver should see the beauty and goodness the child is attempting to express – and to communicate love, understanding, compassion, respect, and reverence for this emerging spirit, even when disciplining.
To fail to treat a child with love and respect is as much an abuse as it is to place a young plant in a darkened room. We would be denying this young spirit the light it needs to reach its potential in the same way.
Today’s world suffers from a certain blindness. We fail to see that every person has a spiritual system that guides and determines their experiences, their behaviors, their beliefs, and their lives. Because of this blindness, we are denied the opportunity to nurture them – to help them realize their deepest selves, and to create true personal excellence, success, satisfaction, fulfillment in their lives. Instead we have depression and anxiety.
At the level of our families, we fail to honor the family spirit and ancestors, with the result that we often end up disrespecting each other. We spend too little time with our children and pay too little attention to factors that tend to produce violence. We discontinue breastfeeding prematurely, and neglect our responsibility to protect our kids from violent movies and those with sexist content, as well as other negative inputs.
The best thing to spend on your children is your time. – Louise Hart
At the planetary level/environmental level, we are not nurturing our forests and diverse biological species. We are not learning from experience and eliminating those ways of treating the environment that are producing such problems as pollution, global warming, and depletion of the ozone layer.
In our planetary culture, we are stretched between the poles of amoral atheism and intolerant fundamentalism. In the name of Jesus and Mohammed, two men thoroughly committed to peace, we declare holy war. Oblivious to the contradiction in our own behavior, we are all too ready to condemn others for the same sin.
One of the most common factors in all spiritual teachings is their focus on the importance of love. Our lack (or disregard) of spiritual guidance may be seen, therefore, as a lack of love. Perhaps it would be more accurate to refer to this diagnosis as a “love deficiency.”
In the last 1,000 years, Christianity, Judaism and Islam have . . . been choosing sides and each has fostered the view that there are two worlds, one good—which is us— and one less good—which is everyone else.– Craig Barnes
Very, very well said.
Having experienced my own “dark night of the soul”, below are sources I found to pull myself out of the depths.
Three Magi were traveled great distances to honor baby Jesus with gifts. This nativity scene is everywhere at Christmas time. Magi were astrologers following significant planetary and star signs in the night sky ~ they read Jesus’ birth chart. We all have one. “To a remarkable degree, most of us are failing in the all-important task of seeing what is good in ourselves, in our communities, and in our world – and nurturing it. ” Most people are completely unaware they DO come with an owner’s manual which has been vilified for centuries: your astrological birth chart. Not only does it tell your sun sign (Aries, Libra, etc.) but tells where all the planets & stars were when you were born. In combination, they show your talents, strengths & weaknesses, provide a timeline for crisis points in your life (which may cause you to fall into deep depression). We have all heard of “midlife crisis”. Those are well documented to take place during movements of Uranus, Neptune, Saturn and Pluto – to name a few astronomical points.
For skeptics and those who believe astrology to be work of the devil, understand that idea was promoted by many churches to keep their congregations in line (churches had become the political and monetary power). Ironic because most famous cathedrals have signs of the zodiac embedded in their famous stained glass windows or as integral sections of their flooring. At one point they obviously honored and used astrology. Ever consider the fish symbol for Christians is the sign of Pisces which is the sign during Jesus’ time? We are moving into the Age of Aquarius (brotherly love, technology, invention and radical thought). Perhaps we will have the chance to do better than the Piscean age which was riddled with religious wars.
Research shows beliefs and emotions cause chemical changes and vice versa. Read Esther Sternberg’s book “The Balance Within” and “Healing Spaces”.
Beliefs (well-founded OR mis-guided) can also cause tremendous angst. An excellent read on this subject is “Sacred Choices: Thinking Outside the Tribe to Heal Your Spirit” Description from Amazon.com: Author CHRISTEL NANI, R.N., is a Medical Intuitive who has worked for sixteen years as an E.R. and trauma nurse in New York City’s busiest hospitals. Since devoting herself to medical intuition, she has performed readings for thousands of clients. Christel speaks and teaches nationally and in Europe on the principles of Spiritual Responsibility and intuition and their role in creating health and happiness in our lives.
She is the founder of the Center for Spiritual Responsibility in Encinitas, California, where she lives.
Open your hearts and minds!
Diane R. ~ Minnesota
Since so many are without support in gaining help for their depression and so many others have no means beyond paying rent, food and the basics, how do you propose to deal with this issue?
I have suffered from debilitating depression for the last 30 years. I wish I had learned techniques for stabilizing my mood early on. Preventative measures should be a priority in our healthcare system. I have found our system inadequate when it comes to finding quality mental health care especially for those that are under insured. I am a RN on disability because of depression. I have Medicare insurance which will no longer pay for the medications I need to function (Abilify & Cymbalta). These medications kept me therapeutically stable for 3 years. I’ve had to go thru nightmarish withdrawal from these meds and have become suicidally depressed. Now I’m having to start over taking a generic SSRI which I have very little faith in. My psychiatrist is frustrated with the system because he knows that I would get well if Medicare would pay for Abilify and Cymbalta. What can I do?
I watched your program, Dr. Amen, on PBS and was so impressed that I ordered your book and as I read it I’m telling any one that will listen to me about it.Thank you for caring so much about God’s people that you pursued your gut feelings, that there has to be more to the illnesses you were noticing in people you treated.
Blessings,
Viv
I love hearing non medical ways to heal mental illness. What about the Duke study on exercise? The British study on low sugar diet prevents relapse. What about fish oil? Dr. Feinstein is his recent literature survey of research on EFT found it effective in treating depression.
I was diagnosed with Major Depression 27 years ago. Since then I have been very intentional about understanding the why’s in my family story and seeking better answers.
To address the nutritional issues I have found that taking D3 and Fish Oil with DHA and EPA supports the nortryptaline that I expect will be a life long medication for me.
To address the spiritual dimensions of Depression, I have been amazed at how healing it is to accept responsibility for my anger, to acknowledge and connect with feelings, finish unfinished business and process inresolved grief. Feeling heard and knowing that I matter is a huge piece of the relationship picture This has led to an interesting transformation of core beliefs and now feel that a conscious culture shift toward learning what compassion and empathy are and are not would help us all. It just plain TOUGH but it works!
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I have already ripeled your question on dealing depression with Hindu resources. which I have reproduced once again below:-In addtion to the above you can do the following and possibility you will get some relief-1. YOGA and MEDITATION. You should preactice this daily in the morning. I will give lot of relief.2. Read and try to understand Bhagwat Gita You can do one verse per day and you will get so many meanings and facts, which will be helpful. Other Hindu Resources suggested by me are as below:DEALING DEPRESSION HINDU WAY RESOURCES:Today many people practice yoga to lose weight or otherwise improve their health and appearance. But there is much more to yoga than that. Yoga actually means “To link with the Supreme”. It may be compared to a ladder for attaining the top most spiritual perfection.Thousands of years ago, conditions were such that people could devote a great part of their lives to unbroken yoga practices in a secluded place, taking strict vows of penances and austerity. But who today can sit alone in a mountain valley or jungle for long periods without moving; minimizing eating and sleeping and speaking, and on top of that fixing ones mind on the self? By following the bhakti yoga process which has been recommended for this age, this can be achieved.The Bhakti Yogi controls his mind and senses by the simple process of chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. Chanting purifies the mind and the senses just as medicine prescribed for a body ailment gradually restores the body to its natural. healthy condition. We engage in this practice, known as mantra meditation to gradually develop great mental control and awareness. In this pure state of consciousness, free from inebriates such as tension, confusion, depression and feelings of envy and hatred, one experiences real peace of mind.We also abstain from activities which bind us to materialistic life and have negative karmic reactions.These we call the regulative principles of freedom and can be classified as four:1. No eating meat, fish or eggs 2. No Gambling3. No intoxicants (like drugs, alcohol, tobacco, etc.)4. No illicit sex.We follow these principles in order to develop love of God. They are conducive to the development of spiritual life and also bring peace and stability of the mind. We believe there are three enemies to civilized human life. These are lust, anger and greed. These activities which we abstain from are those which increase our lust, anger and greed. They also cloud the mind which then that leads to mis-judgement.Abstaining from these four sinful acts allows us to lay a rock solid foundation in our devotional quest.So by regularly chanting Hare Krishna …… this will help us to follow the four regulative principles and by following the four regulative principles we can easily chant Hare Krishna. They go hand in hand, neither one can be done without the other.-
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