| |
| |
|
Depression Information |
|
|
|
To Long Term Care Professionals: How to Dramatically Improve your Residents Psychiatric Care
Long term care facilities and residents' doctors should consider combining medication treatment with psychological and behavioral approaches, such as strength-embedded psychotherapy, for a range of psychological disorders. Currently, psychiatrists and primary care providers in long term care are prescribing drugs and more drugs as the only treatment for psychological disorders. But the addition of Strength-Embedded Psychotherapy (SEP) is a targeted way to change behavior in the direction of strengths and improve results for residents. If a resident develops a frozen shoulder or blows out a knee, the orthopedist would refer him/her to physical therapy, prescribe an NSAID, and, if needed, consider surgery. In mental health, we owe our patients nothing less than the same multimodal approach. Adding psychotherapy to a drug regimen, in this sense, is the mental health equivalent of taking of a multi-modal approach to treatment. In long term care and elsewhere physicians are comfortable writing prescriptions because they believe drugs will affect the functioning of the brain, thereby, improving symptoms. But so does psychotherapy. In fact, preliminary evidence suggests that some types of psychotherapy work, in part, by changing the physiological dynamics of the disorder. In so doing, psychotherapy, when combined with medication therapy, offers residents the best chance of returning to more normal functioning. For example, in long term care, a psychiatrist might choose to use a combination drug/psychotherapy approach for a resident with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). S/he might start the resident on a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, while, simultaneously referring the resident to the house psychologist for strength-embedded psychotherapy. If the patient responds early and well to the psychotherapy, the physician may not have to increase the medication, thereby limiting the side effect possibilities. But if the patient does not respond quickly to the psychotherapy or has multiple co-morbid conditions not targeted by it, the physician could then consider increasing the dosage of the drug. This type of combination is a treatment protocol that is comparable to the default model used in the rest of medicine. The problem is that psychiatric professionals in long term care and elsewhere simply neglect it. One factor is the structure of our mental health system. Insurers don't often offer payment for integrated care that includes combined-treatment approaches and alliances with other providers that are evidence-based. Also, our society tends to be pill-happy. The pharmaceutical industry contributes to that by aggressively promoting its products through direct-to-consumer advertising that creates the impression that their products will bring quick results. Unfortunately, there is no pharmaceutical industry equivalent that promotes psychological and behavioral approaches. And the healthcare industry has yet to embrace disease management models in the treatment of psychiatric disorders that include evidence-based psychosocial treatments. As a result, residents are mainly prescribed only drugs or several drugs in combination to treat psychiatric disturbances. Such interventions are helpful, but they could be more effective and less risky if psychotherapy were part of the central treatment mix. Psychiatric treatment in long term care and elsewhere is comparable to treating diabetes without addressing diet and exercise or treating an injured joint without prescribing physical therapy. Similar to the treatment of other chronic illnesses, combining psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy would usually require collaborative treatment between psychologist and psychiatrist or attending physician. Combined treatment is beginning to show better and better results in research studies. In several areas combined therapy is found to produce better results than either treatment alone. As more results like these continue to emerge, it will become hard for professionals in long term care to ignore. However, there is enough data now to warrant moving this enlightened approach forward. We need to demand that the better treatments be made available to our residents in long term care. As long term care professionals continue to hear about the promising results generated by psychotherapy, they will start demanding that this type of treatment be made widely available to their residents. This will likely require further utilization of the house psychologist to implement and design the psychological treatment plan. It's time that we as health care and long term care professionals figure out ways to offer strength-embedded psychotherapy to residents who could benefit from this type of targeted behavioral approach. Dr. Michael Shery is the founder of Long Term Care Specialists in Psychology, a mental health firm specializing in consulting to the long term care industry. Its website, WWW.NursingHomes.MD , provides state-of-the-art mental health treatment, facility staffing and career information to long term care professionals. To get a copy of the special report, "How to Reduce Residents' Depression with Strength-Embedded Counseling," click drmike@nursinghomes.md. Put "Special Report" in the subject field. Reprint Instructions Box: You may reprint this article only in its entirety and as long as you leave all links in place, don't modify the content and include the resource box as listed.
MORE RESOURCES:
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Turn Depression into Joy Depression is the most prevalent disease of our time. Under the guise of informing the public, both the medical profession and the media are constantly "warning" us of the dangers and probabilities of the disease most likely to terminate us. A Simple Cure For Anxiety And Depression Our innate desire is to be happy, and when we move away from it, we experience fear.This fear is actually millions of years old, for it arises from the biological programming of our species. Depression Many of us feel depressed at one time or another, but for some, depression may be chronic and even debilitating.Emotions are a normal part of our life. Anxiety and Depression Treatment - 5 Tips for Beating Depression Everyone has days when they are down, worn out and just not feeling all that happy.That's OK, you need to have days like this, otherwise how would you know when you are happy. Chronic Depression: Disease or Charcter Flaw? A major survey on depression symptoms from the National Mental Health Association (NMHA), released in july 2001, revealed a dramatic degree of progress in public understanding. Yet even amid this promising trend, the survey sheds light on the difficulties faced by millions of people striving to manage this sometimes chronic, life-long illness. Depression - Causes and Treatments Depression has long been considered a character flaw indicative of morally weak minded individuals. However, new research clearly shows that depression has distinct biochemical roots that affect the way nerve cells work. Eliminate The Belief That Your Illness Is Genetic Many illnesses, emotional and otherwise, are often said to be genetic in origin. When one is told that their particular problem is of a genetic nature it often leaves them feeling helpless since, to date, the idea of reversing something that is stored deep within one's structural DNA, which exists in every single cell of one's body, is considered an impossibility. Hurricane Recovery: Steps to Start Putting Your Life Back in Order It seems unreal, another major storm hitting Florida after experiencing four last year. The beginning of hurricane season, Floridians were just starting to get past the destructive events that caused many of people stress and even, depression. What's Causing My Depression and Fatigue? Chronic Fatigue and Chronic Depression are absolutely systemic in our society today. Recent studies done by the AMA and CMA purport one in four people in North America are suffering from some form of chronic fatigue or depression and it's expected eight out of ten of us will experience similar afflictions in our lifetime. Quick Steps To Reduce Your Worries Looking for a way to reduce the amount of worrying you do?Edward W. Smith, motivational speaker, author and TV show host, who specializes in quick tips on how to move your life ahead even faster, offers the following advice. Do Natural Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Supplements Really Work? Unfortunately, millions of Americans currently suffer from the debilitating effects of stress, anxiety, and depression. In the pharmaceutical industry, anti-anxiety medications and antidepressants are among the best-selling medications on the market. Is it ADHD or is it Depression? During the assessment process it is of great importance for the physician or clinician to consider other possible causes of inattention, impulsivity, or hyperactivity in your child, or teen, or yourself. In fact, this is probably the most important element of a good assessment. St Johns Wort and Depression The bright yellow flower of the St Johns Wort (hypericum perforatum) with it's ray-like petals, represents the power of the sun that forces away the darkness. This already points to the anti-depressant effects of the St Johns Wort which are highly respected, even in conventional medicine. Are you suffering from Depression? Millions of people sufferaround the world from a depressive illness. They think that depression is just a normal occurrence in their lives, which will go away after a short while. Depression is a Choice There is one very simple reason for all emotional depression.In a recent article entitled "Intelligent Emotions" I discussed how the feelings of "happiness" and "saddness" emerge spontaneously from within one's Self with every decision one makes for themselves in their lives. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome And Depression Are Not The Same Thing! Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a very misunderstood illness and this is perhaps why there are so many myths about it. Perhaps the most common myth about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is that it is effectively a mental condition, and another name for depression. Depression Help & Support Groups For those who face depression, every day of their lives may seem like a struggle. A struggle to get up, a struggle to face the day and the people involved and it can be a struggle to make the most of the day. FDA Deems Vagus Nerve Therapy Approvable as a Treatment for Depression On February 3, 2005 the U.S. New Treatment for Chronic Depression Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Chronic Treatment-Resistant Depression About Vagus Nerve Stimulation VNS is not brain surgery, although it is a treatment that affects the function of the brain. Vagus Nerve Stimulation uses specific stimulation of the vagus nerve to send stimulation to specific parts of the brain that are involved in mood. Natural Remedies For Depression It is true that forms of depression cannot be avoided, although, it has also been proved that a healthy life style can play a major role in alleviating depression or even preventing some forms from even occurring. Mild types of depression can develop from poor diet and nutrition.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 Indexadvertisements.com |
