LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Depression: Patients
built 668 days ago
Medication compliance is especially important for people with depression as the risk of recurrence is significant: 50 percent after one episode, 70 percent after two episodes, and 90 percent after three episodes(1). Therefore, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), it is important to continue taking antidepressant medications for four to nine months to make sure the feelings of depression do not return. According to a study reported in 1998 in the Journal of Family Practice there is a $750 net health care savings per patient completing the appropriate length of therapy.
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Unfortunately, an important 2003 study reported that even when depression is diagnosed, only about 20% of Americas with major depression receive adequate treatment. Most patients are treated by their family doctor, who may not have sufficient information or training on dosages or specific drugs that would be best suited for individual cases. Even worse, about half of people with depression, particularly the elderly, do not receive any therapy at all. Lack of health insurance is a major factor in these low treatment rates.
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All patients with depression should be evaluated for suicidal risk. Questioning should begin with the assessment of thoughts of hurting self. If the response is positive, the patient should be questioned on whether they have a specific plan and intent and emergent admission must be considered.
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Just as patients need to be evaluated for depression throughout their treatment, so do family caregivers. Caregivers have been found to experience a good deal more anxiety and depression than people who are not caring for cancer patients. Children are ... affected when a parent with cancer develops depression. A study of women with breast cancer showed that children of depressed patients were the most likely to have emotional and behavioral problems themselves.
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How long you'll need to take the medicine depends on your depression. Your doctor may want you to take medicine for six months or much longer. This is because medicine helps reduce the chance that the depression will come back. Patients have used some antidepressants for over 30 years with no bad effects. Talk with your doctor about any concerns you have.
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Patients who have had serious bouts of depression usually cite a stressful life event as the precipitating factor for their illness. Adverse events during childhood pose a higher risk for depression in adulthood. In one study, parental divorce, physical abuse, and frightening experiences were particularly associated with onset of depression in adulthood. Only divorce was associated with recurrence....
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