DEPRESSION
IN WOMEN
DEPRESSION
& ANXIETY – WHAT IS NEW?
DEPRESSION
IN THE ELDERLY PATIENT
DIAGNOSIS
AND TREATMENT OF PTSD
ALZHEIMER’S
DISEASE: WHAT IS NEW?
OVERLOOKED
MEDICAL COMORBIDITIES ASSOCIATED WITH DEPRESSION
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The
depression rate among women is alarmingly high! In fact, women experience depression at a rate of 2-3 times more
than men. They also tend to be much more difficult to treat; they are much more
likely than men to be treatment resistant, treatment refractory or partial
responders. There are numerous reasons why women tend to experience
significantly more depressive symptomatology than men. These reasons (e.g., sociological,
psychological, physiological and diet) based on compelling research data are
examined in this lecture.
Significantly more women are prescribed antidepressant
medications than men! During the second half of the lecture the top prescribed
antidepressant medications (e.g., sertraline, escitalopram, paroxetine,
fluoxetine, venlafaxine, and buproprion) are compared and contrasted with each
other utilizing references to the latest scientific and clinical research
studies. Differences in safety,
efficacy, and tolerability in women (as well as in men) are highlighted. By
becoming aware of important differences among antidepressant medications,
health professionals will be able to optimize treatment for their depressed
patients and achieve more successful treatment outcomes.
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DEPRESSION & ANXIETY – WHAT IS NEW?
The audience is briefly introduced to the
latest, high-tech devices that researchers are currently utilizing to treat both
depression and anxiety, including transcranial magnetic therapy, deep brain
stimulation and vagus nerve stimulation.
Along with high-tech devices, the audience is also provided with a
variety of compelling research data highlighting the significant influence that
diet (i.e., what patients eat and drink) has on symptoms of depression and
anxiety as well as on treatment outcomes.
There is also a thorough discussion focusing on
the top prescribed antidepressant medications on the market. These medications include sertraline,
escitalopram, paroxetine, fluoxetine, venlafaxine, and buproprion. In this
lecture, the aforementioned antidepressant medications are objectively compared
and contrasted with each other utilizing references to the latest scientific and
clinical research studies. Differences
in safety, efficacy, and tolerability are highlighted. By becoming aware of
important differences among antidepressant medications, health professionals
will be able to optimize treatment for their depressed and anxious patients and
achieve more successful treatment outcomes.
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DEPRESSION IN THE ELDERLY PATIENT
The
elderly population (defined as adults 65 years of age and older) in America is
growing dramatically! Along with
this dramatic increase in the elderly population, the number of elderly
people who are experiencing depression has increased in kind. Currently,
approximately 16% of the 33 million Americans over the age of 65 suffer from
clinically significant depression. Unfortunately, depression in the elderly is
often underdiagnosed and undertreated. In this lecture, health
professionals will learn how to more effectively recognize, diagnose and treat
depression in the elderly as a means of improving their quality of life and
providing them with the ability to maintain function at the highest levels
possible.
Elderly
patients tend to be highly sensitive to side effects and drug-to-drug
interactions commonly associated with antidepressant medications. Thus, when choosing an antidepressant
medication for an elderly patient, these factors (i.e., side effects and
drug-to-drug interactions) should be carefully considered. During the second
half of this lecture, the top prescribed antidepressant medications (e.g.,
sertraline, escitalopram, paroxetine, fluoxetine, venlafaxine, and buproprion)
are compared and contrasted with each other utilizing references to the latest
scientific and clinical research studies.
Differences in safety, efficacy, and tolerability in the elderly are
highlighted. By becoming aware of important differences among
antidepressant medications, health professionals will be able to optimize
treatment for their depressed and anxious elderly patients and achieve more
successful treatment outcomes.
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In this lecture, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or
PTSD, is briefly reviewed from a historical perspective. In addition to the history
of PTSD, the diagnostic criteria for establishing a diagnosis of PTSD is
discussed and examined utilizing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV. A
variety of epidemiological and statistical data is presented throughout the
lecture. For example, among patients
diagnosed with PTSD, between 79% and 88% have one or more additional
psychiatric disorders. While PTSD symptoms usually present
within the first 3 months following the traumatic event, these symptoms may
persist for months or years following the traumatic event. Approximately 50% of all cases of PTSD are
chronic.
The
top prescribed antidepressant medications utilized to treat PTSD are
reviewed. These medications include
sertraline, paroxetine, fluoxetine and escitalopram. They are objectively
compared and contrasted with each other utilizing references from the latest
scientific and clinical research studies.
Differences in safety, efficacy, and tolerability in PTSD patients
are highlighted. By becoming aware of important differences among antidepressant
medications, health professionals will be able to optimize treatment for their
PTSD patients and achieve more successful treatment outcomes.
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Approximately 4 million people in the U.S. have
Alzheimer's disease. With the number of
Alzheimer’s disease cases expected to dramatically increase over the next
decade, hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent each year to search for
better ways to prevent, predict, diagnose and treat this disease
effectively. In this lecture, the latest
research studies are presented relevant to this disease. Of special note will be the new
emphasis on early detection (utilizing high-tech diagnostic devices) and
prevention (with a focus on dietary interventions). The research studies
presented in this lecture are compelling and tend to suggest a relatively
bright and hopeful future for millions people for whom this disease has been
(or may become) an issue for them during their lifetimes.
At
the current time, there are several medications are on the market approved for
the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
In this lecture, these medications will be objectively compared and
contrasted with each other utilizing references from the latest scientific and
clinical research studies. Differences
in safety, efficacy, and tolerability in Alzheimer’s patients will be
highlighted. By becoming aware of important differences among medications
approved for dementia, health professionals will be able to optimize treatment
for their patients with Alzheimer’s disease and achieve more successful
treatment outcomes.
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Research
studies have shown that while the prevalence of depression within the general
population is approximately 5%, the prevalence of depression in the medically
ill is much higher, ranging from 10% to 40%.
According to a recent Psychiatric Times article, “Comorbid depression
with major medical illnesses may be particularly dangerous, and evidence is
accumulating that failure to address this depression can impede medical
treatment and increase mortality.”
Several studies have suggested that nearly 65% of all visits to primary
care physicians involve emotional symptoms associated with psychological
problems, with depression being the most common problem. In this lecture, the
most common medical comorbidities (e.g., heart disease, cancer, stroke,
diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and chronic back pain) associated with depression
are discussed. By the conclusion of this lecture, health professionals will be
able to better recognize, diagnose and treat depressed with medical
comorbidities.
Most
antidepressant medication prescriptions are written by primary care physicians
for primary care patients! During the second half of this lecture, the top
prescribed antidepressant medications (e.g., sertraline, escitalopram,
paroxetine, fluoxetine, venlafaxine, and buproprion) are compared and
contrasted with each other utilizing references to the latest scientific and
clinical research studies. Differences
in safety, efficacy, and tolerability in primary care patients are highlighted.
By becoming aware of important differences among antidepressant medications,
health professionals will be able to optimize treatment for their depressed
patients with medical comorbidities and achieve more successful treatment
outcomes.