A Columbia study aims find out which treatments work best to alleviate major depressive disorder and improve quality of life for individuals with breast cancer.
The best way to support women’s mental health is to implement policies that improve access to health care systems, family leave, food security, and housing, Dr. Elizabeth Fitelson said.
"We need better drugs and new drugs, not just the psychedelics and the ketamine, but new allotted treatments that are more effective," said Dr. David Hellerstein.
Dr. Elizabeth Fitelson discusses what we can expect from brexanolone, a drug developed specifically to counteract unique physiologic changes that can induce postpartum depression in vulnerable women.
Optimizing Outcomes of Treatment-Resistant Depression in Older Adults (OPTIMUM) is the largest study ever done on late-life depression. OPTIMUM’s New York site is located at NYSPI/Columbia.
Prescription medication may be enormously helpful, but "just taking a pill is usually not enough" to effectively cope with depression, says Dr. Diana Samuel.
“Part of the problem that we’re faced within the field is that we really need to become better at identifying the factors that lead to the escalation of suicide risk,” says Dr. Randy Auerbach,
Dr. Kelly Posner Gerstenhaber has developed a protocol of questions that anyone — not just medical professionals — can ask to identify people who may be at risk of suicide.
“Approval of esketamine is important for patients because other options like transcranial magnetic stimulation work more poorly in medication-resistant depression,” writes Dr. J. John Mann.
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Dr. Alan S. Brown, said that "overall, the investigators have done a commendable job." However, he also noted that the "findings could also be influenced by treatment-seeking behaviors."