Conquering Depression
Adapted from Medicine
at Michigan
Can primary care docs treat depression?
Most people with depression have no idea
they have a mental illness. They just know
they feel lousy, and they usually seek help
from a family doctor or primary care physician.
So how does a busy general practitioner,
with an over-booked schedule and minimal
training in psychiatry, diagnose and treat
depression?
That’s where Michael Klinkman (M.D.
1982, Residency 1985) comes in. Klinkman
develops and evaluates the most effective
ways to treat patients with mental health
problems in a primary care setting. He directs
the U-M Health System’s participation
in a $26-million national study under way
in 13 research institutions called STAR*D,
which is the largest clinical trial ever
funded by the National Institute of Mental
Health. Its goal is to determine what to
do if the first antidepressant prescribed
by the physician fails to help the patient,
which happens about 50 percent of the time.
“People who begin treatment for depression
in the primary care setting are just as
impaired as those who are treated initially
by a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist,”
Klinkman says. “So it’s important
that family physicians have valid treatment
guidelines and effective support systems
in place, so they can help their depressed
patients.”
Also:
Conquering
Depression
What’s
the best way to help depressed teens?
What
does stress do to your brain?
What
happens to when Mom is depressed?
How
do antidepressants work?
View
original article...
Last updated on:
Friday, 26-Jan-2007 15:00:06 EST
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