Depression is debilitating and surprisingly common. Scientists have
found that 5 percent of the people in a large survey reported symptoms
of depression during the previous year. Nearly 13 percent of Americans
experience depression at some point during their lives.
The big
question is how to treat depression? It’s hard to get a good picture of
the effectiveness of antidepressants from the published medical
literature, because many studies that show little or no benefit don’t
get published. Dr. Erick Turner explains how unpublished studies may
skew medical opinion.
Dr. David Mischoulon discusses the pros and
cons of antidepressant medication and many alternative treatments for
this devastating mental disorder.
Guests: David Mischoulon, MD,
PhD, is the Director of Research, Depression Clinical and Research
Program, at the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of
Psychiatry. He is also an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the
Harvard Medical School. He is currently working on the second edition
of his book, Natural Remedies for Psychiatric Disorders: Considering the Alternatives. (Photo is of Dr. Mischoulon.)
Erick
Turner, M.D. is Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at
Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and in the Department of
Pharmacology & Physiology. He is the Medical Director of the
Portland VA Medical Center Mood Disorders Program, where he acts as
site principal investigator (PI) on several multicenter clinical drug
trials. His article, "
Selective Publication of Antidepressant Trials and Its Influence on Apparent Efficacy," was published in the
New England Journal of Medicine, Jan. 17, 2008.
