Antipsychotic Medications in Major Depression and the Association with Treatment Satisfaction and Quality of Life

OBJECTIVE: To describe the demographic and clinical characteristics, adequacy of antidepressant treatment, and changes in quality of life of patients with major depression receiving follow-up care from primary care centers. METHOD: A cohort study was performed in which major depression patients were followed-up over a nine-month period. Several evaluation instruments were used, including the World Health Organization Quality of Life and the Quality of Life-Depression, Centers for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression questionnaires. RESULTS: The sample comprised 179 individuals, mostly female (73%), with a mean age of 38 years and mean education of 9 years. At the end of the follow-up period, 42% of the individuals still presented with major depression, 25% had complete symptom remission, and only 9% were properly treated with antidepressants. In relation to quality of life, there were significant differences especially between baseline and after nine months in almost all measures. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that depressive symptoms are poorly recognized and that treatment is often inadequate for patients followed-up in primary care units in the south of Brazil. Most of the patients continued to have symptoms of depression over the nine-month period which were associated with impaired quality of life.

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The relationship between quality of life and posttraumatic stress disorder or major depression for firefighters in Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Quality of Life Research ◽

10.1007/s11136-007-9248-7 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 16 (8) ◽

pp. 1289-1297 ◽

Cited By ~ 58

Author(s):

Yong-Shing Chen ◽

Ming-Chao Chen ◽

Frank Huang-Chih Chou ◽

Feng-Ching Sun ◽

Pei-Chun Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Major Depression ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

The Relationship

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Treating Major Depression by Creating Positive Expectations for the Future: A Pilot Study for the Effectiveness of Future-Directed Therapy (FDT) on Symptom Severity and Quality of Life

CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics ◽

10.1111/j.1755-5949.2011.00235.x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 18 (2) ◽

pp. 102-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Jennice S. Vilhauer ◽

Sabrina Young ◽

Chanel Kealoha ◽

Josefine Borrmann ◽

Waguih W. IsHak ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Major Depression ◽

Symptom Severity ◽

The Future

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Equine-assisted biographical work (EABW) with individuals in the second half of life: study protocol of a multicentre randomised controlled trial

Trials ◽

10.1186/s13063-020-04784-3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Julia Schmidt ◽

Andrea Wartenberg-Demand ◽

Simon Forstmeier

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Major Depression ◽

Phase Iii ◽

Control Group ◽

Equine Assisted Therapy ◽

Health Related ◽

Randomised Controlled ◽

Equine Assisted ◽

Subclinical Depression

Abstract Background Equine-assisted therapy is more often practiced with children and adolescents than with the elderly, although individuals in the second half of life could also profit from it. This group, from the age of 50, is characterised by increasing emotional, social, health-related and cognitive changes; a critical life event, such as a neurological illness or loss of a family member, can increase the likelihood of subclinical depression. Individuals who exhibit depressive symptoms not necessarily diagnosed with a major depression may suffer from relevant losses of quality of life (e.g. sleep disorders, memory disorders, feelings of guilt, hopelessness). Despite the fact that the various healthcare systems are in general more frequently used, such individuals often do not receive adequate therapy. The processing of one’s biography (reminiscence) is an elementary component of most psychotherapy approaches and has been demonstrated to treat and prevent the development of major depression. In this study, equine-assisted biographical work (EABW), a combination of equine-assisted therapy and biographical work, will be applied with individuals with subclinical depression in the second half of their life. Methods This is a multicentre, prospective, randomised, controlled and open phase III study in enrolling participants with subclinical depression. The aim of the study is to evaluate whether a preventive, equine-assisted, age-specific treatment combining elements of equine-assisted intervention with those of biographical work offers better treatment potentials in comparison to a control group with no intervention. Study participants in the intervention group will receive weekly equine-assisted biographical work over a period of 8 weeks. The primary endpoint is the change in Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) in a pre-post comparison. Secondary endpoints include other health-related questionnaires including quality of life, reminiscence functions and anxiety. Discussion The present study is the first randomised study examining the efficacy of biographical work with a horse and has the potential to establish an empirically based treatment for individuals in the second half of life and improving the symptoms of subclinical depression. Trial registration German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00017010. Registered on 01 April 2019

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Major depressive disorder and its association with adherence to antiretroviral therapy and quality of life: cross-sectional survey of people living with HIV/AIDS in Northwest Ethiopia

BMC Psychiatry ◽

10.1186/s12888-020-02865-w ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Biksegn Asrat ◽

Crick Lund ◽

Fentie Ambaw ◽

Emily Claire Garman ◽

Marguerite Schneider

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Major Depression ◽

Functional Disability ◽

Northwest Ethiopia ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Clinical Factors ◽

Major Depressive ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Living With Hiv

Abstract Background Major depression is believed to affect treatment adherence and overall quality of life (QoL) of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Comorbid major depression contributes to a two-fold higher risk of mortality among PLWHA. Understanding the relationships of major depression, adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and QoL is important to identify areas for intervention. The aim of this study is to examine relationship of major depressive disorder (MDD) and adherence to ART with QoL, and to investigate socio-demographic and clinical factors associated with MDD, adherence and QoL among PLWHA in Northwest Ethiopia. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted in the ART clinic of Felege-Hiwot referral hospital in Northwest Ethiopia from July to October 2019. Adult PLWHA were selected using a systematic random sampling technique. Data were collected using interview administered questionnaires and chart reviews. Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview and WHOQOL-HIV-BREF-Eth instruments were used to measure MDD and QoL respectively. Adherence to ART was assessed using pill count data from patients’ adherence monitoring chart. Univariate and multivariate Poisson regressions were used to assess associations of socio-demographic and clinical factors with MDD and adherence to ART. A multivariate linear regression was used to examine the associations of both MDD and adherence with overall QoL. Result Of the total of 393 invited participants, 391 (99.5%) completed the interviews. MDD was negatively associated with overall QoL: participants with MDD had a lower QoL score of 0.17 points compared to those with no MDD. MDD was associated with reduced adherence to ART when functional disability was controlled (RR = 1.43; 95%CI = 1.05, 1.96; p = 0.025). However, there was no statistical association between adherence to ART and overall QoL. Functional disability was associated with both MDD (RR = 5.07; 95%CI = 3.27,7.86; p < 0.001) and overall QoL (β = 0.29; 95%CI = 0.21,0.36; p < 0.001). Conclusion The relationship between MDD and QoL indicates the need for feasible, acceptable and evidence-based mental health interventions to reduce depression and improve overall QoL of PLWHA. We recommend future studies investigate causal relationships of MDD, adherence to ART and QoL of PLWHA to better understand priority areas for intervention.

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