The Recognition and Treatment of Depression

Medscape ^ | 12/23/05 | Medscape

[ConvienentCharade]

The Recognition and Treatment of Depression: A Review for the Primary Care Clinician

The signs and symptoms of major depression have been recognized since at least the eighth century BCE. For example, King Saul's bouts of severe depression and ultimate suicide are described in the Bible in the First Book of Samuel.[1] In the fifth century BCE, Hippocrates described "melancholia" as despondency, insomnia, irritability, restlessness, and aversion to food. Indeed, the signs that we today recognize as indicative of significant depression -- guilt, low self-esteem, lack of pleasure, low energy, poor sleep, poor hygiene, and abnormal appetite -- have been recognized as such for millennia.[2]

Left untreated, depression can destroy a person's social, physical, and mental well-being, and place an enormous burden on society. Workers suffering from depression experience an estimated average of 5.6 lost productive hours per week in the United States.[3] This lost productivity translates into $44 billion in annual wages alone.[3] In addition, two thirds of all suicides are related to depression, and approximately 15% of individuals diagnosed with major depression will commit suicide.[4] Patients with depression also have increased medical morbidity and mortality. For example, depression is associated with a higher incidence of premature death related to cardiovascular disease,[5,6] and depressed individuals are 4.5 times more likely to suffer a myocardial infarction than those without depression.[5]

[ConvienentCharade]

Even way back in the time of King Saul, the palestinian's were a pain in the ass. Add to this the powerful and connected PC crowd that's laying around the national monetary printing presses and the results are depressing. Well, break your chains and give the local pols your most vitreolic letters and e-mails. If they don't stand with us in direct compliance with our Constitution then work to replace them. It's true that we get the Gub'ment we deserve. Now off the couch and to the war!

[Lazamataz]

When I finally come out of my funk, I'll read this article.

[GAB-1955]

That, sir, is a non sequitir of the finest kind.

[fso301]

bump

[wizardoz]

That, sir, is a non sequitir of the finest kind.

Glad I'm not the only one who read that and went "Huh??"

[catonsville]

Am I more depressed this morning, but I can't link to the original article

[little jeremiah]

later read/