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Friday, 5 December, 2008

The future of depression treatment

The Canadian mental health landscape is changing fast. The rapidly accelerating pace of research and innovation over the last few decades has finally led to a comprehensive, system-wide review of the most common mental health problem: depression.

In October, a group of the country's top mental health experts, led by Canadian Mental Health Commission chair Michael Kirby, convened in Calgary to discuss depression. The result of the conference was an unprecedented consensus statement (PDF) from some of Canada's most influential policymakers, psychiatrists, family physicians and patients. The statement's recommendations on ways to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of depression run the gamut from amendments to the Income Tax Act that would allow caregivers to write off expenses to the adoption by family physicians of a "stepped care" approach to treating cases of depression along a scale of severity, and lots more.

The scientific chair of the consensus conference, Dr Scott Patten (pictured left), a psychiatric epidemiologist at the University of Calgary, talked to Parkhurst Exchange about the latest research on depression, new thinking on effective clinical practices, and Britney Spears' breakdown.

To read my interview with Dr Patten in Parkhurst Exchange, click here.

Posted by David Elkins and others at 5:17 PM

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1 comments:

  1. Sam,

    I thought the interview was well done and provided good backgrounder information for the purpose of the report.

    The report itself has three features I would like to comment on:

    1. the disclaimer:

    'This statement is an independent report of the panel.... and is not a policy statement..... of the conference partners, conference sponsors, or the Government of Alberta. '

    Public discussion is a "long way" from becoming policy

    2.the comment:

    depressed worker "poisons" the workplace

    what if that had been said as " challenges" the workplace ?

    3. the front cover

    Current perspectives on treatments,cost, societal disruption related to what we call "depression" and, presumably, what to do about it, are "pictured" as a "circle of "HANDS ON WRISTS".
    ( I'm guessing this is supposed to symbolise solidarity and strength in a team context).
    Is this a message to the worker or the patient?

    Native Canadians make carvings called a " circle of friends" where you see whole bodies, with ARMS intertwined.

    Is this your experience of society?

    Many people, including myself, would see present society linked by a circle of " intertwined" talking lips" .... "saying" all of the right things... but having lost the connected body parts for "doing" the right things.... and "egos" splintered into shards often used to hurt ..... more than heal

    [you know... the " killing me softly" perspective .....]

    Having " said" all of that ... I do a little experiment of my own in various parts of the planet ...to test an assumption I have.

    i.e.

    Pick a neighborhood ( not a downtown )in the early evening. They are deserted.
    You can walk for miles and wonder ... "where has everyone gone?"
    Then, as the evening sky dims an eerie blue light emanates from uncurtained windows...aha,... they are worshipping at the idol of the "blue god".

    ...you know.... it is lonely out here on the street at twilight
    not even a mugger to talk to..... a person could get "depressed" ;)

    Malcolm Mugger...idge ..... where art thou?
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