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ANN ARBOR,
MI - The nation's first comprehensive center devoted to treatment,
research and education in depression will be established at the
University of Michigan Health System, after approval by the U-M
Regents on Nov. 15.
The new U-M
Depression Center will bring together and expand the University's
wide range of coordinated patient care services; its extensive,
world-class clinical and laboratory research efforts; its patient,
family and community education programs; and its renowned training
programs for health care professionals and students. This broad
scope will make it the first such center in the United States, and
allow the U-M to advance the field of depression on all fronts.
"The time
is right to focus all the resources we can on understanding and
defeating this illness, and the social stigma that it carries, so
that we can help the 18 million Americans who suffer from depression
every year," says John Greden, M.D., the center's executive
director. He added that the U-M will now embark on a major fundraising
campaign to support the center's activities.
With the center,
Greden says, "We hope to lead the way in accelerating the pace
of neuroscience research in depression, bringing the products of
that research to patients, and reaching out to those who are coping
with depression, those who care for them, and those who make decisions
about their care." Greden is chair of the Department of Psychiatry,
and the Rachel Upjohn Professor of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences,
at the U-M Medical School.
The center
will address depression in people of all ages, as well as the postpartum,
bipolar and treatment-resistant forms. More than 100 physicians,
scientists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, and staff form
a network that will care for patients, conduct research and provide
education.
Says UMHS chief
executive officer Gilbert S. Omenn, M.D., Ph.D., "We're proud
to lead the nation in enhancing and linking scientific studies of
depression and care of depressed patients across many specialties.
We invite the community and our peers to join us in our new venture."
This week,
the center's debut is marked by the presentation of new results
from U-M depression research at a meeting in California, a national
symposium at UMHS on prevention and treatment, and a gala banquet.
Depression,
which the World Health Organization has ranked as one of the top
four most disabling diagnoses in the world, is a set of illnesses
with complex physical and psychological roots - and one that challenges
researchers, health care providers, patients, families, employers,
insurers and governments alike. Its symptoms of hopelessness, sadness,
energy loss, sleep and appetite disruption, restlessness and despair
drain its victims of their ability to work, enjoy life, and relate
to loved ones. It may even rob them of their will to live.
As many as
one in five women and one in eight men are at high risk of experiencing
depression sometime in their lives, no matter what their race or
socioeconomic status. Recent advances in medication and talk therapy
have made depression more treatable than ever. But only about 10
percent of all people with depression receive adequate treatment,
due to social stigma, lack of symptom awareness, poor diagnosis,
incomplete treatment regimens and inability to pay.
The picture
is changing, though. Greden points to recent events in the depression
field, including scientific discoveries, public education campaigns,
the availability of new and more cost-effective medications, media
attention, improved health care training and mental health insurance
parity legislation.
"Right
now, the battle against depression is beginning to turn in our patients'
favor, as science provides new answers, pharmaceutical and treatment
research provide new options, social acceptance provides new openness
and government policy provides new means for coverage," he
says. "What better time to launch a comprehensive center to
catalyze the momentum that we have?"
The new center
takes aim at depression from all angles, using existing and new
resources:
·
Laboratory research: Center researchers are working to characterize
the genetic and neurochemical signals within the brain that lead
to depression, to see the links between depression and other mental
and physical health problems, and to study and improve the delivery
of health care to depression patients. New tools like DNA microarray
chips and advanced brain scanning techniques are speeding scientific
discovery; results from research already underway at UMHS are being
presented this week at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in San
Diego.
·
Clinical research: Studies designed to test new medications
and treatment interventions, or to measure how well patients do
under certain treatment strategies, are another major focus. U-M
patients have access to the newest treatment advances through clinical
trials like STAR*D, a national study for patients with treatment-resistant
depression in which U-M is one of only 13 participating sites --
the only site in Michigan.
·
Treatment: The center's patients receive team-based, family-centered
treatment coordinated by Care Navigators from the new Michigan Depression
Outreach and Collaborative Care, or M-DOCC, program - a continuous
care service designed to support long-term recovery. Patients are
treated by specialists in many fields, often within the same visit,
using approaches tailored to their individual diagnosis, and followed
up to ensure treatments work and other health issues are being addressed.
·
Early diagnosis: Patients, especially those with other primary
illnesses, will be more likely to have their depression diagnosed
early, as center clinicians and outreach staff work with physicians
in primary care and specialty fields such as cardiology, geriatrics,
cancer, obstetrics and adolescent medicine. Free depression screenings
for the community will be available in early 2002.
·
Education: The education of patients, their loved ones, and
the community is expanding through a variety of efforts. Workshops
for patients and families are being offered beginning Jan. 21, 2002;
participants will learn about depression's causes, treatments and
effects, and will learn ways to form partnerships in treatment.
Register at 734-764-0267. Two new Depression Education and Resource
Centers funded by a $502,000 grant from FRIENDS of U-M Health System
are now available in clinical areas to give patients and families
access to printed and electronic information. And conferences for
health care professionals, such as the one on Nov. 15-16 at UMHS,
will bring experts with current knowledge in contact with those
on the front lines of diagnosis and treatment.
The U-M Depression
Center is now accepting donations from those who want to help it
achieve its missions. Those interested in contributing may call
Jim Thomas, Medical Center Office of Development, at 734-998-7705.
Or, they may make a contribution online at www.med.umich.edu/depression,
or mail contributions to the University of Michigan Depression Center,
Office of Development, 301 East Liberty Street, Suite 300, Ann Arbor,
Michigan 48104-2216. Checks should be made payable to the U-M Depression
Center.
For more
information, contact Kara Gavin or Carrie Hagen, UMHS Public
Relations, 734-764-2220, or by e-mail.
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