Depression in the News 2001

December 30, 2001. The New York Times. Minds Over Money. The week in review by Robert Pear. This opinion piece is about parity in heal insurance for mental health coverage. Quoting: "...the medical model of mental illness has gained ground in recent years as scientists discover biological, chemical and even genetic explanations for mental disorders. With these discoveries have come a citizens' movement for equivalence, or parity, in the insurance coverage of mental and physical illnesses...Just as critics of 'mental health parity' tend to describe the costs as prohibitive, so proponents tend to minimize or deny the differences between physical and mental illnesses...Popular stereotypes suggest that a physical illness can be cured in a fixed, predictable time, whereas treatment for mental illness goes on indefinitely. The clinical truth is far different. Many chronic physical illnesses, like heart disease, can continue indefinitely, and some mental illnesses can be cured or controlled in a limited time."  

The Hartford Courant ran an editorial on this subject on January 2, 2002. It said that the current two-tiered system of health insurance should be outlawed. They feel it is wrong for insurers to collect premiums and then discriminate against a policyholder because he or she happens to suffer from a disease that affects behavior rather than body parts. The excuse that businesses will suffer if health insurers are forced to provide equal coverage for mental illnesses is not borne out by facts.

Second Opinion: Writing Off Depression. January 1, 2002. The Washington Post. By Abigail Trafford. Page HE01. Santa Claus has left a lump of coal this year for a large group of wounded Americans. They are the millions of people with mental illness. For starters, lawmakers left town without passing bipartisan legislation that would cover psychiatric illness such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder on a par with diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Without a national commitment and government leadership, the current non-system for providing mental health services continues to unravel. This article was accompanied by a summary of the major events regarding depression in 2001. 

The Harvard University Gazette. December 12, 2001. Lithium drugs may reduce the risk of suicide among people with severe recurrent depression by as much as 82 percent, according to a new Harvard study. That finding may help millions of people who struggle with potentially lethal mood disorders. Researchers analyzed 22 studies involving 5,647 patients. Those who took the drug showed a nine-fold lower rate of suicide compared to those who did not. Suicide risk in people with mood disorders is 10 to 20 times higher than that in the general population, and as many as 25 percent of severely depressed or manic-depressive patients take their own lives. 

Mind and Body December 11, 2001. Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes suffered his first depressive episode 20 years ago. Quoting from this article: "Physical illness can put you out of action for a while; it's often painful and debilitating. But some mental illnesses are more painful and more debilitating. They can last longer and be more difficult and expensive to treat. And that's what is at the root of the difference, the disparity with which insurers and H.M.O.'s treat mental illness compared to physical illness. It's the usual suspect: money. I make a very comfortable living, but I wouldn't be able to if I hadn't been able to afford the psychiatric care I needed when I first encountered a clinical depression about 20 years ago. It took months of psychiatric treatment plus expensive medications to lift me from my downward spiral and put me back to work. I still take the medication." 

October 15, 2001. The Philadelphia Inquirer. By Art Carey. Heidi Bryan's mission is to explain the problem and ways to prevent it. She started her group, Feeling Blue, after her brother killed himself. Feeling Blue works on suicide-prevention, spreading the word that suicide is a burgeoning health problem, and is threatening young lives and scarring families and communities. Some facts in the article: Suicide claims more lives in this country than AIDS or murder or many genetic diseases. In the United States, more than 765,000 people attempt suicide each year; more than 30,000 kill themselves. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for teenagers between ages 14 and 19. The article says that in most cases, suicide is preventable. And most suicidal people desperately want to live. They're just unable to see solutions to their problems. 

October 24, 2001. The MacArthur Fellows Program is intended to encourage people of outstanding talent to pursue their own creative, intellectual, and professional inclinations. It awards unrestricted fellowships to individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits, and a marked capacity for self-direction.

The following briefly explains the reasons for her winning the award and is taken from the MacArthur Fund web site

"Kay Redfield Jamison is a psychologist and a leading expert on serious mood disorders. Her writing, teaching, and clinical research on depression have had a broad impact on mental health treatment, on patient support and advocacy, and on public awareness of psychiatric disorders. Her extraordinary ability to convey the subjective experience of mental illness and to blend clinical science with humanism has greatly enhanced our understanding of bipolar disorder, mood disorders in general, and psychiatry more broadly.

Jamison's lectures, monographs, and books have illuminated for a general audience the often devastating consequences of serious mood disorders. Jamison herself suffers from manic-depression and has written eloquently about her experience and management of this disorder. From the dual perspective of expert and afflicted, she educates the public about depression, and in doing so, helps to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness and its treatments." 

The Wall Street Journal. October 12, 2001. By Tara Parker-Pope. Page B1. Americans are looking for pills to help them cope with these turbulent times. The article notes that for many people it is not appropriate to use antidepressants because they are intended for a chronic illness and the problem may be immediate stress. The most popular category of antidepressants, SSRIs, can cause an initial increase in anxiety and can take from four to twelve weeks to kick in. SSRIs can also cause a blunting of emotions, sexual dysfunction and weight gain. 

The article says it has not been proven that SSRIs help in preventing post traumatic stress disorder. Other options are sleeping aids and short term anxiety drugs, but they too have downsides. The article concludes with the observation that many patients want conversation and counseling as much as they want pills.

Resilience (Week of October 3, 2001): There isn't a more compelling time to understand and appreciate resiliency than right now, in the immediate wake of the monstrous acts of September 11th. This week The Infinite Mind will explore what lets some people “bounce back” from disaster. What makes some people more resilient than others? How is it that adversity can defeat some people, and bring out the best in others? We will also speak with neurologist and stress expert, Dr. Robert Supolsky (author of "Why Don't Zebras Get Ulcers"). We’ll learn how a LOW level of stress may prepare our brain cells to survive a crisis. And we’ll hear from psychologist Karen Reivich about a program that teaches school children to change the way they think about failure. Finally, from "once upon a time" to "happily ever after;" can folk tales and fables teach resiliency? We will visit with and hear a poignant story from Laura Simms and her Storytelling for Survival Initiative. With a special commentary by John Hockenberry.

How to Pick a Therapist (Week beginning October 10,2001): In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks and with the threat of war looming, many people who have never had a therapist may now seek professional help to deal with their fears and anxieties. Others may find that recent traumas have caused old issues to resurface. But even if you’ve decided you need help, how do you pick a therapist? This week, we’ll talk about the many different types of therapy that exist, and help you figure out what kind of treatment -and what kind of person - might be best for you. Among the participants, Dr. Steven Hyman, director of the National Institute of Mental Health.

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The New York Times. August 12, 2001. On Radio, a Journey Through the Mind.  This article profiles the weekly public radio program "The Infinite Mind."  The program focuses on the nature of thought, the science of the brain and mental health — and the subtle, often unfathomable interactions between them.  The host of the show, Dr. Fred Goodwin lectured to MDSG in September 2000. The producer of the show, Bill Lichtenstein has manic depression and is a member of MDSG, and a founding member of the West Side (Carnegie Hall) group. Many of the shows are related to depression. In late August 2001 there will be an hour long installment on dysthymia.

The Infinite Mind currently airs on more than 170 public radio stations and is produced in association with WNYC/NY. In New York City the show airs on WNYC-AM (820) at 7 a.m. on Sundays.  Some of the shows can be heard over the Internet at any time using real audio software. Recent depression related shows are listed below. A full list of shows is also available. 

The August 2001 issue of Rosie O'Donnell's magazine has a number of stories on depression, including one in which Rosie discusses her own depression.  Quoting from the article: "...the dark cloud that arrived in my childhood did not leave until I was 37 and started taking medication. My depression slowly faded away. I have been on medication for two years now. I may be on it forever."  

Also in the magazine is an article on understanding depression, (the article is on multiple web pages), one on where to go for help online by Martha Manning, and Rosemary Clooney discusses her depression. 

August 10, 2001. USA Today. By Adele Slaughter. Wendy Williams won a bronze medal in diving at the 1988 Olympics. Three months before the 1992 Olympics, she suffered a spinal injury that forced her to retire. She was considered a top contender for the gold medal in women's platform diving. Williams felt depressed as a teen, but it wasn't until she lost the life-consuming focus of diving that she faced her own inner turmoil. 

In the fall of 1994, she was diagnosed with major depression. Many people with depression do not seek treatment or even recognize that they have a treatable illness. Such was the case with Williams. "I was always big on therapy. I ate really healthy and exercised, but life kept getting worse," says Williams. "It got to the point where I wasn't interested in eating and I was hardly sleeping. She responded to an SSRI. In the article an expert is quoted as saying: "Depression is the number one cause of disability in the world, worse than heart disease, cancer, and car accidents. And it ranks fourth among all medical and psychiatric disorders." 

For the past year, Wendy Williams has been traveling with the Minds in Motion Depression Awareness Campaign sponsored by Pfizer and Women's Sports Foundation. "I like to tell people that depression is not something you are, it's something you have," says Williams. "There's no shame in someone saying, 'I'm a diabetic and I'm on insulin,' but for so long there has been a lot of shame in saying, 'I have depression and I need medicine — don't tell anybody, it's a secret.' I feel like I'm finally doing something worthwhile with my medal." 

August 2, 2001. The New York Times. Market Place column. Barr Laboratories is about to ship a generic version of Prozac (fluoxetine) after a five year court battle with Eli Lilly. Twenty milligram pills are expected to be in pharmacies any day. It is expected that generic Prozac will cost 30% less than the retail price of $2.50. Much greater discounts are expected next spring when additional companies can begin shipping generic versions of Prozac. In response, Eli Lilly has created two new versions of Prozac - a once-a-week formulation and Sarafem, which is marketed to women for premenstrual disorder. Sarafem has the same ingredients as Prozac and is protected by a patent. Likewise, the once-a-week formulation is also protected by a patent. Other companies also received FDA approval for different dosages (10mg, 40mg and liquid). This story was also covered by the AP on July 30, 2001 and by Reuters on August 2, 2001

August 21, 2001. The AP reported that the generic Prozac has caught on quickly. 

July 27, 2001. The Wall Street Journal. Page B1. Health Journal column by Tara Parker-Pope. The article suggests saving money by buying bigger pills and cutting them in half using a pill cutter available at drug stores for a couple dollars. It notes that some drugs cost the same per pill regardless of the dosage. One example cited was Zoloft where a patient needing 75 milligrams a day would pay $6.66 for three 25 milligram pills. Splitting a combination of 100 milligram and 50 milligram pills lowers the cost to $2.53. However, some pills can not be cut in half such as capsules or extended-release tablets. Only a doctor can prescribe a larger dose, so patients must discuss pill-splitting with a physician.  

The New York Times. July 26, 2001. This article is about the writer Hugh Nissenson whose novel "The Song of the Earth," was published in May. The article discusses Mr. Nissenson, his work and his six bouts with depression. "All my life I have fought depression," he said. 

USA Today July 23, 2001.  A new study by Carnegie Mellon University psychologist Robert Kraut, who claimed three years ago that Internet use led to depression, says that Internet use can no longer be correlated with depression or loneliness. Kraut 's research has convinced him that the Internet deepens the prevailing mood of both extroverts (who become livelier) and introverts (who become lonelier the more time they spend online, and look to the Internet less for social contact than for entertainment). The story was also covered in the New York Times on July 26, 2001. 

June 27, 2001. Salon.com. Why has a cultural cottage industry sprung up around the most isolating of illnesses? By Maria Russo. Depression remains a baffling and controversial illness. Part of depression's public relations problem stems from the fact that it's an exaggerated form of common experiences -- grief, hopelessness and fear about the future. The line between ordinary depression, which is part of being human, and what's now called "clinical depression," which if left untreated can ravage a life in big and small ways, isn't always a clear one. The widespread perception of depression as a "disease of affluence" doesn't help either. 

Andrew Solomon's exhaustive and eloquent book (The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression) makes abundantly clear is that it's not true that serious depression is largely a province of the privileged. The rise of antidepressants may be a phenomenon of affluence, but depression itself is not. In fact, Solomon argues, poor people actually suffer from it more often than do the middle class and rich. We don't hear those people's stories. Poor depressed people suffer in silence, often without a full understanding of what's happening to them. More educated and economically stable depressed people realize what's wrong, get the best available care and usually get better. It's these articulate middle-class people who have become the public face of the disease. 

June 13, 2001. USA Today. By Robert Davis. The vagus nerve stimulator has been approved for use in the US for treating seizures. Studies are underway to see whether the device is safe and effective for depression. One-third of the people with recurrent, severe depression do not respond to medication. The most common course of treatment for these patients is electro convulsive therapy (ECT), also known as shock therapy. The vagus nerve stimulator might be an alternative to ECT. It is a pacemaker-like gadget that is surgically implanted in a shoulder. Every three minutes, it sends a 30-second blast of electricity into the brain. Cyberonics is the vendor. 

May 23, 2001. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association gave mixed reviews to health sites on the web. The study evaluated health information for 4 conditions: breast cancer, depression, obesity, and childhood asthma. It concluded that "consumers using the Internet may have a difficult time finding complete and accurate information on a health problem." About half of the information researchers found included content that was designed to promote products, but was not clearly labeled as such. Search engines were only moderately efficient in locating information on a particular health topic. Only 1 in 5 links identified by 10 search engines led to a Web page with relevant content. Coverage of key information was poor and inconsistent, but accuracy was generally good. Only half the topics that expert panels thought were important for consumers were covered more than minimally. Just over half the web sites had conflicting information. Materials on depression were the most likely to have conflicts on treatment. When measuring topic coverage and accuracy for depression, they found that the NIMH web site (www.nimh.nih.gov) stood out as the best. 

• Study gives mixed reviews to health sites on Web by the San Jose Mercury News. May 22, 2001.  
• Web Sites Inconsistent on Health, Study Finds by the New York Times May 23, 2001 
• Health Information on the Internet  the full article from the Journal of the American Medical Association 
• Health Information on the Internet  the full article from JAMA in Adobe Acrobat PDF format   

May 1, 2001. NBC TV in New York City did a story about suicide hotlines 

May 2, 2001. There is a new National Strategy for Suicide Prevention Goals and Objectives. A summary of their goals and objectives is available online as are facts about the cost to the nation of suicide. 

May 2, 2001. U.S. Launches Suicide Prevention Plan from the AP 

Study Says Herbal Remedy Ineffective In Treating Major Depression. April 18, 2001. In many previous trials of St. John's Wort, most conducted in Europe, it was found to have some benefit. However, a new study from Vanderbilt University found it ineffective in treating major depression. The study involved 200 adults with major depression and lasted eight weeks. It did not compare the use of St. John's Wort to an anti-depressant drug. Such a study is now being conducted by the National Institutes of Health. This study was done using current scientific methodology and a person involved with it criticized previous studies as being poorly designed. The study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It is unclear whether the herb helps people with milder depression. 

Read about this from the Associated Press on the InteliHealth web site. 
Read about this from CNN 
Read an April 19th transcript of a story on this by the PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
Read about this story and related stories in the Yahoo Health Full Coverage topic on Mental Health
Yahoo also has a topic in its directory for St. John's Wort
Read the story on this in the New York Times on April 18, 2001 (page may expire soon).

This test has come under criticism as reported in the Wall Street Journal on April 27, 2001 (page B1). In describing the authors of the study, this article says they are "widely regarded as some of the country's most respected depression researchers." One of the researchers was David J. Hellerstein of the New York Psychiatric Institute, who has lectured to MDSG. The Journal article says "Even the staunchest advocates of SJW don't believe it works for serious depression and recommend it only in cases of mild to moderate depression" and concludes with the advice that patients should always talk to their doctor before trying the herb. This article is not available for free on the Journal web site.

60 Minutes II. CBS. April 3, 2001. Once seen as barbaric, shock therapy (also known as ECT, short for electroconvulsive therapy) is being used more and more in the United States. Over 100,000 patients receive it every year. 60 Minutes II follows one patient's experience, and the debate between advocates and critics. The story focused on a patient at the New York State Psychiatric Institute in Manhattan. The story referred to Dr. Harold Sackeim, as "one of the country's leading practitioners of shock therapy." Dr. Sackeim lectured to MDSG in January 2000. For information on a tape or transcript of the show, click here.

Aerobic Exercise Can Work Faster Than Drugs To Lift Depression  March 27, 2001. British Journal of Sports Medicine.  It's not obvious how strong a conclusion can be drawn from a study of 12 people for 10 days. A study is reported where a dozen depressed individuals exercised daily for 10 days. Ten of the patients had previously failed to improve much on drugs. The patients were severely depressed and had been for an average of nine months. The exercise entailed walking on a treadmill for 30 minutes every day. Brief periods of intense activity were alternated with walking at half speed. After ten days, four patients showed no improvement, two showed minor improvement and six showed substantial improvement. 
Cox News Service covered this story on April 18, 2001. 

Magnetic appeal: New therapy that fights depression sparks current of optimism  March 27, 2001. Seattle Times. Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a new depression therapy being tested at Harborview Medical Center. It involves stimulation of the brain with a magnet. So far, it's available only to research subjects and does not yet have government approval for general use in depression.  Preliminary studies indicate the therapy has helped about half the patients who have received the treatment. It's probably not a permanent cure, but neither are other treatments for depression.
Readers Digest did a story What is magnetic field therapy? in March 2001. 

In March, HBO broadcast a documentary about suicide. Their description of it is: "In America a suicide occurs every 17 minutes. This stunning documentary takes a disturbing, up-close look at this widening problem. Producer/director Eames Yates--whose own brother killed himself--investigates why so many Americans choose death over life and examines the impact of suicide on families and professionals who have dealt with it." It does not appear however that HBO is planning on showing the documentary again. They also have no information on their web site about purchasing a copy of it. NAMI has a press release about the documentary and HBO has info on its web site including details on the documentary. 

FDA Approves Prozac in Once-a-Week Dosage From WebMD. On Feb. 27, 2001, the FDA announced it had approved a version of Prozac that patients can take once a week for the long-term treatment of depression. The move makes Prozac Weekly the first once-a-week antidepressant.
The New York Times covered this story March 6, 2001. Their story notes that other antidepressants will not be available in once-a-week versions. The weekly Prozac takes advantage of fluoxetine's uniquely slow metabolization rate. 

February 26, 2001. Time Magazine. The old treatment has come a long way since Cuckoo's Nest. But some still question its safety. Electroconvulsive therapy has remained a common treatment for those who are severely depressed and who don't respond to (or can't tolerate) drugs. Its use has been quietly on the rise in the past two decades. A small but persistent group of advocates wants to ban it and a larger, more mainstream group of activists wants more research before the treatment spreads any further. Psychiatrists and some former patients who found the treatment beneficial are rushing to try to prove the dissenters wrong. 

The Diane Rehm show on WAMU discussed Bipolar Disorder on January 31, 2001. The host was Susan Page. The station provides audio of the show for you to hear with Real Audio. The audio will work even on a 28.8 modem connection. The show description and guests as provided by WAMU:
Mental health experts estimate that about 1% of the U.S. population is affected by bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression. This illness causes dramatic swings in mood and behavior. Diane talks with two people who are themselves bipolar about their experiences with the disorder and about how it is treated. Mark Helmke, senior director of public affairs for the National Mental Health Association; Mr. Helmke wrote about his experiences with bipolar disorder for Washington Post Health Kay Redfield Jamison, psychiatrist, professor at Johns Hopkins Medical School, and author of An Unquiet Mind (Knopf). 

January 16, 2001. The New York Times. By ERICA GOODE. Quoting from the article: "Psychotherapists enter their profession knowing that the patients who seek their help are sometimes at risk for suicide...Yet, perhaps because suicide is a relatively rare event, or perhaps because of the intimate nature of the bond between therapist and patient, mental health professionals are frequently less prepared to deal with a patient's death than other medical specialists. And a new report suggests that even for the most seasoned clinicians, the suicide of a patient can have a long-lasting emotional impact."

January 15,2001. The Administration on Aging (AoA), an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, released a report on older adults and mental health that identifies an emerging "national crisis in geriatric mental health." The report is called Older Adults and Mental Health: Issues and Opportunities and it highlights major issues in the field of mental health and aging; discusses efforts to address these issues, including community-based services; and identifies the crucial challenges that must be confronted in the years ahead and strategies to meet them.