A Love Letter to ECT - World of Psychology

A Love Letter to ECT - World of Psychology: "We have a lot of respect for James Potash, a well-known researcher from Johns Hopkins who has made his career by studying the genetic basis of mood disorders and schizophrenia and possible overlaps.

So we were a little saddened to see him write this love letter to ECT, over at ABC News."

Sleep and mood

For the last few weeks, I've had lousy sleep. Often, I'll wake at 2, 3, or 4 in the morning. Generally, I'll have a nap sometimes during the day to give me a bit more energy. If I don't get the nap, I stumble through the day and there's still no guarantee that I will sleep better that night.

We've tweaked the meds, increasing the Seroquel, but without much effect. Most of my tough days (3.5 or worse) come after a bad night of sleep. I also have some days that are ok and even good.

I have an appointment with my psychiatrist next week. This will be the main topic.

This week's depression links - 1/29/08

• Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry: A Closer Look: The Serotonin Monster Strikes Again ( Wednesday, Jan 30 at 02:43 AM )

  Continued reporting on whether there really is a chemical imbalance associated with depression or is it just a catch-phrase used by Big Pharma to persuade us to buy and use meds.

• The age of depression: 44 marks the start of that mid-life crisis - and scientists say it lasts years | the Daily Mail ( Wednesday, Jan 30 at 02:12 AM )

  "... while most of us enjoy a happy start and end to life, there is a trough in the middle, with 44 the year when depression peaks."

• Depression and dualism | Technovia ( Wednesday, Jan 30 at 12:46 AM )

  ... our best option is probably to look at environmental factors, the history of the experiences of the patient, and so on. In other words, psychiatry.

• Naturally and Surely Cure Depression and Neurosis ( Wednesday, Jan 30 at 12:43 AM )

  "Depression and neurosis can easily be cured through dream interpretation using the method discovered by Carl Jung in 1920, which I simplified in 1988." Today, these problems exist only for those who insist on suffering…

• Top 8 Tips for Living with Depression - Christianforums.com Forums ( Wednesday, Jan 30 at 12:41 AM )

  Grab a bucket and mop ....

• Don't Worry, Be Moderately Happy, Research Suggests ( Monday, Jan 28 at 07:09 PM )

  The people in our study who are the most successful in terms of things like income are mildly happy most of the time

• The new black: Mourning, Melancholia and Depression by Darian Leader review | Non-fiction book reviews - Times Online ( Sunday, Jan 27 at 07:45 PM )

  It’s nothing like as incoherent as the life we have to deal with while it happens.

• Bad science: Depression - the facts and the fables | Comment is free | The Guardian ( Sunday, Jan 27 at 07:44 PM )

  The serotonin hypothesis will always be a winner in popular culture, even when it has flailed in academia, because it speaks to us of a simple, abrogating explanation, and plays into our notions of a crudely dualistic world where there can only be weak pe

• Book - HOW SADNESS SURVIVED ( Friday, Jan 25 at 02:14 AM )

  "Do most types of depression represent an adaptation – an evolved mechanism which improved the survival and reproductive value of humans in our ancestral environment? Has depression been selected?" From http://www.geneticsandhealth.com/2008/01/23/dep

• Depression: How You Label Determines How You Feel | The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss ( Friday, Jan 25 at 01:59 AM )

  "Gratitude training can be used pre- or mid-depressive symptoms to moderate the extremes and speed the transition." Making a gratitude list is one of the quickest way to ground onself - you may hurt, but there are plenty people and ideas to hold on to.

• Getting out of depression (learned helplessness) by learning to be optimistic « Living an intentional Christian life ( Friday, Jan 25 at 12:02 AM )

  Start with your hair. Then your clothes. Then try avoiding hurtful people. Then go to a church where you feel loved. Then go to counselling and learn new skills. Then… then… then…

• Genetic Test To Predict Antidepressant Response ( Thursday, Jan 24 at 11:34 PM )

  "To our knowledge, our results provide for the first time evidence that genetic variants in the [gene for P-gp] account for differences in the clinical efficacy of antidepressants, most likely by influencing their access to the brain," they wrote.

• That Sinking Feeling: Depression Saps Workers, Employers | workforce.com ( Thursday, Jan 24 at 10:26 PM )

  That’s because while workers with behavioral health problems—a phrase that encompasses substance abuse and mental health problems—are a small percentage of the overall workforce, they are responsible for a large percentage of overall health expendit

• Black Dog Institute - Home - Black Dog Institute ( Thursday, Jan 24 at 07:54 PM )

• Neuropsychopharmacology - Abstract of article: Erythropoietin Improves Mood and Modulates the Cognitive and Neural Processing of Emotion 3 Days Post Administration ( Thursday, Jan 24 at 07:54 PM )

  Erythropoietin (Epo) has neuroprotective and neurotrophic effects and is a promising candidate for treatment of neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorder.

• ScienceDirect - Trends in Immunology : Cytokines sing the blues: inflammation and the pathogenesis of depression ( Wednesday, Jan 23 at 06:04 PM )

  Increasing amounts of data suggest that inflammatory responses have an important role in the pathophysiology of depression. Depressed patients have been found to have higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines, acute phase proteins, chemokines and cellula...

Using Music to Lift Depressions Veil

Using Music to Lift Depressions Veil - Well - Tara Parker-Pope - Health - New York Times Blog: “I think we can be reasonably confident that music therapy has an effect,'’ Ms. Maratos said. “Music therapy is often used where more conventional therapies are not as likely to be as accepted or tolerated.”

At the end of the article is a link to a podcast that provides some additional information about the findings.

See also.

Depression links - 1/22/08

• Health and Quality of Life Outcomes | Abstract | 1477-7525-6-4 | Emotional and rational disease acceptance in patients with depression and alcohol addiction ( Tuesday, Jan 22 at 09:07 AM )

  "Disease acceptance should not be regarded as a coping style with an attitude of fatalistic resignation, but as a complex and active process of dealing with a chronic disease. One may assume that an emotional acceptance of disease will result in a therape

• Today Is the Most Depressing Day of the Year, Google Says No ( Monday, Jan 21 at 07:42 PM )

  The original article claims that January 21 is the most depressing day of the year. This story - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6847012/ - says that it's January 24.

• » Pet Depression FAQ’s » Blog Archive » MicroNutra Articles ( Monday, Jan 21 at 06:32 PM )

  If your pet has symptoms of depression, try the natural product Anivive to stabilize their mood.

• Brainsway Home ( Monday, Jan 21 at 06:30 PM )

  " Brainsway Inc. is dedicated to the development and marketing of Deep TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimluation) systems, a novel, non-invasive medical device for treatment of a wide range of neurological and psychopathological disorders. In principle

• People not always needed to alleviate loneliness « Biosingularity ( Sunday, Jan 20 at 03:02 AM )

  "... anthropomorphizing pets or God may actually confer many of the same psychological and physical benefits that come from connections with other people."

• Vicarious Therapy: Early Medical Intervention For Major Depression ( Saturday, Jan 19 at 10:17 PM )

  I often wonder, had I received help at 18 or 19, instead of 36, would I be better today? Would I be struggling so hard to find something to help me?

• 3quarksdaily ( Saturday, Jan 19 at 06:05 PM )

  Why is the experience of antidepressants so variable? Medical anthropologists have known for a long time that medicines are not just taken by bodies; they are incorporated into cultures, that is to say into preexisting cosmologies that permit certain rep

• MHA Response To New England Journal Of Medicine Study, "Selective Publication Of Antidepressant Trials And Its Influence On Apparent Efficacy" ( Saturday, Jan 19 at 12:53 AM )

  "Historically, papers that get published have been those with positive results. This study highlights what is known as the "waste basket" problem in which studies with positive outcomes are more likely to be published than those with neutral or negative o

• Depression Is Not A Chemical Imbalance & Antidepressants Are Not Effective : Elaine Vigneault ( Friday, Jan 18 at 05:33 AM )

• Dr Shock MD PhD: ECT and Election Time ( Friday, Jan 18 at 05:26 AM )

  Senator Thomas Francis Eagleton of Missouri was the running mate for George McGovern, the Democratic candidate for the election for the Presidency of the United States in 1972. He had to step back because of his disclosure having had ECT in the mid 60's.

• Selegiline patch doesn't alter sexual function ( Friday, Jan 18 at 04:54 AM )

• Student and his family open up on toll of depression, risk of suicide - The Boston Globe ( Thursday, Jan 17 at 07:19 PM )

  "It's extremely difficult for parents to acknowledge it, because there's a lot of pain with acknowledging it, and also it's a hard thing to identify..."

• CeNeRx BioPharma Announces Successful Completion Of Phase L Clinical Program For Novel Antidepressant Agent Tyrima(TM) ( Thursday, Jan 17 at 07:17 PM )

  the unique selectivity and reversibility of CeNeRx's Tyrima should enable patients to benefit from the efficacy advantages of the class while avoiding the food- associated cardiovascular side effects of older MAOIs.

• Depression is over-diagnosed, psychiatrist claims | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited ( Thursday, Jan 17 at 06:47 PM )

  More importantly, it appears that antidepressants are over-prescribed, given for what we could better characterize as fairly normal unhappiness.

• Shrink Rap: This is Why You Need A Psychiatrist ( Thursday, Jan 17 at 06:21 PM )

  More about the recent news reports showing that negative reports on the efficacy of antidepressants are often not published.

• Women and Men Doctors Have Divergent Views on Women and Depression | Medical Health Articles ( Thursday, Jan 17 at 04:27 AM )

  “The beliefs of female and male doctors about women and depression are pretty consistent,” said Jo Parrish, vice president of communications for the Society, “but our survey does reveal a few areas where female doctors may be more in tune with the c

• Depression: It's Spiritually Incorrect ( Wednesday, Jan 16 at 09:36 PM )

  Somehow Christians and God-fearers of all religions are programmed to believe they are "above" mental illness and depression. Faith conquers all.

• Method for Treating Apathy Syndrome ( Wednesday, Jan 16 at 09:31 PM )

  Did you know that there was such a thing as an apathy syndrome? We learn, however, that apathy is not depression. See http://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/10/3/314

• Is Complete Remission Realistic? - World of Psychology ( Wednesday, Jan 16 at 09:26 PM )

  The reality today is that few treatment plans filled out by clinicians with their clients say, “Goal: Complete remission of depression.” Instead, they are far more likely to say, “Goal: Reduce daily depressive feelings by 10% as measured by self-rep

• How to Naturally and Surely Cure Depression and Neurosis - Associated Content ( Wednesday, Jan 16 at 09:05 PM )

  Curing depression with Jung and the interpretation of dreams

• On Depression and Coping « Tarakuanyin ( Wednesday, Jan 16 at 09:03 PM )

  One family's story about depression and other diseases and how each member of the family finds a pathway through.

• Nature and nurture are both to blame for depression, study says ( Wednesday, Jan 16 at 03:27 AM )

• Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Depression - Out of the Black Hole ( Tuesday, Jan 15 at 08:44 PM )

  this is the first book to be published about winning the battle with a medical implant procedure called VNS Therapy.

• Treating Depression in Older Adults: Challenges to Implementing the Recommendations of an Expert Panel ( Tuesday, Jan 15 at 05:58 PM )

  via Hospice and Caregiving Blog

• Re-occuring depression . . . an attack of tachyphylaxis « The Sidewalk Psychiatrist ( Tuesday, Jan 15 at 05:57 PM )

  Tachyphylaxis is the fancy term used to describe the waning of benefit that some people experience from antidepressants or other medication.

Giving your day the three-fingered salute

When all that’s left is to re-boot your day: "When you feel all is going wrong with your day, stop what you are doing and sit down. Take a deep breath and then close your eyes for a fifteen minute nap. The nap is the re-booting of your “internal operating system” (as the doc liked to compare it). Then when you open your eyes again, the re-boot is complete and you must now pretend that it is a new day."

Anti-Antidepressant Videos

YMMV - Antidepressant Videos : Elaine Vigneault

Does It Help To Continue Antidepressant Drug Treatment For Preventing Recurrence In Depression?

Does It Help To Continue Antidepressant Drug Treatment For Preventing Recurrence In Depression?

Are we too happy?

In Praise of Melancholy - ChronicleReview.com: "My fears grow out of my suspicion that the predominant form of American happiness breeds blandness. This kind of happiness appears to disregard the value of sadness."

The author is careful in making the distinction between melancholia and depression. The former is a praise-worthy state of awareness of the true nature of our being; the latter is an often crippling illness. "Melancholia, far from a mere disease or weakness of will, is an almost miraculous invitation to transcend the banal status quo and imagine the untapped possibilities for existence."

Thanks, but I think I'll sit this one out. It reminds me of my childhood friend, Dave, who lit a match so he could see if there was gasoline in the carburetor of his car.

We don't receive news about unsuccessful antidepressant studies

The New England Journal of Medicine has published a review of antidepressant trials and has noted that nearly a third of the studies that showed an unfavorable result were not published. This, according to a follow-up story in the Wall Street Journal, "inflated the reported effectiveness of all 12 of the antidepressants studied, which were approved between 1987 and 2004."

Further, reports the New York Times, it's a reminder that finding an effective antidepressant is still very much a trial-and-error process. The Times quotes Dr. Erick Turner, a psychiatrist and former F.D.A. reviewer who now works at Oregon Health and Sciences University and the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center. "The bottom line for people considering an antidepressant, I think, is that they should be more circumspect about taking it,” he said, “and not be so shocked if it doesn’t work the first time and think something’s wrong with them.”

Things we shouldn't need to be told

There are quite a few serious warnings associated with EMSAM, the MAO inhibitor that I have been taking:
Emsam in particular and the MAOI class of antidepressants in general have a lot of warnings regarding interactions with foods and other medications. So far, the restrictions haven't been burdensome. It's not a bad idea to avoid cheeses, given the risks of high cholesterol. (Jennie did comment, however, "What's Christmas without cheeses?")

The warnings that come with medication differ slightly from the warnings that are printed by the pharmacy, which, in turn, differ slightly from the warnings shown at the web site of the company that provides our medication insurance. Two out of three say that hot dogs aren't safe. One says that raspberries and raisins pose a moderate risk.

Yesterday, I was at the dentist and needed to receive a topical antibiotic. I was able to use my Blackberry to check on the safety of the antibiotic wrt Emsam (no problem).

So, the principles of common sense and moderation prevail. I won't eat a pint of raspberries in a sitting. The good news of this effort is that the medication seems to be working well. I have had a few nights when I haven't slept well (waking early) and that has the potential of causing trouble. Nevertheless, I continue to have more good days than bad and the good days have been among the best that I've had in a long time.

Depression Links - 1/15/2008

Here are this week's links on the topic of depression.

• Coming Out Of The Dark
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• Depression beneficiaries double in five years - New Zealand news on Stuff.co.nz
  • The number of people receiving the sickness benefit due to depression has more than doubled in the past five years.
• Depression really is in your head
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• Dr Shock MD PhD: Risk Factors for Psychiatric Disorders
  • Twin studies suggest a heritability for depressive disorder of about 37%, which is much lower than the heritability for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
• Electroshock reborn as valid therapy
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• Fighting the Darkness: My Secret Battle with Depression: The light at the end of the tunnel
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• Getting stronger after depression - Case Studies, Health - Independent.ie
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• God Will Restore Your Wasted Years! by David Wilkerson March 26, 1990
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• Johns Hopkins: Depression|Anxiety on depression|neurogenesis
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• Magic mushrooms could help depression, say scientists
  • Oh, this sounds like a great idea.
• Nature and nurture are both to blame for depression, study says
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• Old in Massachusetts? Say Goodbye to Your Freedom - World of Psychology
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• Psychiatry24x7.com
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• Re-occuring depression . . . an attack of tachyphylaxis « The Sidewalk Psychiatrist
  • Tachyphylaxis is the fancy term used to describe the waning of benefit that some people experience from antidepressants or other medication.
• ScienceDirect - Journal of Affective Disorders : Gray matter reduction associated with psychopathology and cognitive dysfunction in unipolar depression: A voxel-based morphometry study
  • The volumetric results indicate that regional abnormalities in gray matter volume and concentration may be associated with both psychopathological changes and cognitive deficits in depression.
• The Wild Moods: Review of MBCT: Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression
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• The monster strangled me and I never saw it coming - Times Online
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• Treating Depression in Older Adults: Challenges to Implementing the Recommendations of an Expert Panel
  • via Hospice and Caregiving Blog
• Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Depression - Out of the Black Hole
  • this is the first book to be published about winning the battle with a medical implant procedure called VNS Therapy.
• dervala.net » Blog Archive » Against Depression
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• sbc IMPACT! » Blog Archive » Depression: A Real Problem for Real People
  • The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, but who can bear a broken spirit? Proverbs 18:14.
• Delicious Links Builder by InternetDuctTape.com
  • This list was created using Delicious Links Builder

The Cure for Depression « Enjoining the Good and Forbidding the Evil.

Another in a series about depression, religion, and society. In this case, it's a reflection about depression and Islam:

The Cure for Depression « Enjoining the Good and Forbidding the Evil.: "Any Muslim who makes a dua and his dua does not contain a request for anything sinful or anything regarding the severance of family ties, Allah grants him one of three things most assuredly, namely,

1. ) What he has asked is granted immediately, or
2. ) What he has asked is saved for him as a treasure in the Aakhirah, or
3. ) Allah wards away some calamity from him in lieu of the object asked for.”

In other words, if we ask for something in prayer, the answer is one of three things:

1. Yes
   
2. Not now
   
3. Not this

Is depression a social illness?

A recurring theme among social commentators, particularly those on the left, is that much of the mental illness is the product of a toxicity in modern (American) culture.

Toxic Culture: losing the battle of the mind: "The WHO predicts that depression will become one of the most common disabling disorders in the world by 2020, second only to heart disease (it has already reached the number one spot for women). Pretty soon, Mexicans and other immigrants won’t have to come to North America to be exposed to toxic culture, USA. It will come to them. Culture is, after all, America’s greatest export."

I'm not sure about this. In fact, I'm sure that I don't agree that our culture, and the way that individuals interact with it, isn't the sole cause of mental illness. Nevertheless, it's good to look around and ponder these factors that probably contribute to our mental health (or lack thereof).

Addenda:

• Make some changes in the way you live, and those other depression factors will still be present but will no longer be operative.
• One more: it seems that depression is also a product of the modern Muslim world: Depression, it seems, has become synonymous with living in a society overrun with innumerable problems.
• The politics of depression from the Daily Kos
  

If exercise was the cure, this guy'd be out of a job.

I get really annoyed with professionals who are careless with the language surrounding depression. For example, in this article, we're told that, "Exercise is the easiest and least expensive cure for depression." If that was so, I'd have closed the doors on this blog a long time ago. I don't dispute that exercise is helpful, whether you're depressed or not, but it's hardly a cure. It may relieve symptoms for a while, but often it's only for those few minutes that you're exercising. Relief from any source is welcome. Let's not, however, conflate relief with cure. Folks with Ph. D. after their names ought to know better.

Previously unknown side-effect of ECT

Vt. hospitals bring back ECT therapy to treat depression: Times Argus Online: "McKay said after one of his patients who was immobilized by depression received ECT, he started playing the bagpipes."

Depressed and I don't smell so good. Or well.

A recent report indicates that women who are depressed have a diminished sense of smell. As a result, they may use too much perfume. The study, which reported on female subjects, links autoimmune diseases such as lupus with depression.

This doesn't explain, yet, about guys who use too much aftershave or Deodorant in a Drum^®.

The wonderful world of prescription insurance

A month ago, I increased the dosage of Emsam from 6mg/24hrs to 9mg/24hrs. When I picked up the first prescription, there was no co-payment; the cost of the drug was fully covered. Today I went to the pharmacy for the refill and learned that the co-payment was/is $125. (The medications full price is $540 or so.) My psychiatrist had been concerned that the medication wouldn't be covered and that he'd have to write a lengthy justification for the prescription. After the first successful order, it didn't seem as though we'd have a problem. Apparently, we do.

I expect to be on the phone for quite a while on Monday morning. Even though I don't always think clearly because of the depression, I still have a pretty good brain. There are lots of folks who have a lot less money and whose mental illness(es) have done much more damage; they have many fewer options when dealing with something as weird as this.

Paging Dr. Obvious ...

HBNS: Alcoholics With Depression Less Likely to Stay Sober