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A new genome study for the very first time has identifies genome regions which seem to have an association with depression in people with European ancestry. The study researchers used an innovative way of enrolling people by analyzing data which people had already shared when they purchased their own individual DNA profile using an online service. These individuals then chose to participate in the research option. This method provided researchers with an enormous sample of DNA material to work with. According to co-corresponding study report author and Harvard Medical School associate professor of psychiatry Roy Perlis “Identifying genes that affect risk for a disease is a first step towards understanding the disease biology itself, which gives us targets to aim for in developing new treatments. More generally, finding genes associated with depression should help make clear that this is a brain disease, which we hope will decrease the stigma still associated with these kinds of illnesses.”
The genome study results could play a vital role in developing medical and genetic tests for depression. Perlis explained that “The neurotransmitter-based models we are currently using to treat depression are more than 40 years old, and we really need new treatment targets. We hope that finding these genes will point us toward novel treatment strategies. Another key takeaway from our study is that the traditional way of doing genetic studies is not the only way that works. Using existing large datasets or biobanks may be far more efficient and may be helpful for other psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety disorders, where traditional approaches also have not been successful.”
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Treatment for mental disorders come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and the treatment recommended will depend on the specific mental illness and symptoms that need to be addressed. In the USA mental institutions were common until a few decades ago, but today many with one or more mental disorders face stigma as well as substandard care. The mentally ill often end up homeless through no fault of their own, or they end up falling through the cracks so that they do not get access to the help and treatment that they deserve. The stigma associated with mental disorders can cause some not to even seek treatment in the first place. There are a number of private programs which can offer confidentiality along with the latest innovative treatments but few insurances and government programs will pay for the higher cost of these effective programs.
If you or a loved one needs treatment for mental disorders you can try to work within the system, waiting weeks or even months in order to try and qualify for a government or social agency program. Another option is to seek out private treatment for any mental illness that you have. If you can afford it this is normally the best choice because the right programs can make a big difference. Government and charity run facilities are typically crowded, and they often offer only the most basic treatment options because they must work within a smaller budget. It is no secret that more needs to be done to address mental illness, and to provide treatment for mental disorders to everyone who needs it.
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Is there a link between mental illness and workplace violence? Mentally ill individuals are no more likely to become violent than someone in the general population, whether this is domestic violence, workplace violence, or other violent acts. People who suffer from a mental disorder may be high functioning or low functioning, and around 20% of the population will experience at least one mental disorder in any given year. To put this in perspective in the USA alone this means that in 2016 more than 42.5 million people will have to deal with mental illness on some level. Since there is nowhere near this rate of workplace violence in America the false association of mental illness with violence is disproved. Some studies show that those with a mild mental disorder may even be less likely than an individual in the general population to commit workplace violence.
One problem is that as soon as an episode of workplace violence becomes news people start looking for mental illness in the belief that no sane person could do something so extreme. Unfortunately history has shown that there are evil people who do not suffer from any mental disorders yet these individuals have performed monstrous acts of violence and sadism. Until the stigma is removed from any form of mental illness and these conditions are treated the same as physical ailments there will be instances where workplace violence and mental illness are linked. In many more cases mental illness will play no role at all though, and the person who becomes violent will do so because they are angry, they feel unappreciated, they are jealous, they have been rejected, or some other superficial motive.
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The new CDC guidelines on pain and opioid use have been released, and these guidelines have left many patients wondering what these rules and recommendations mean for patients who have cancer, those who are dying, and individuals who deal with chronic pain. Millions of Americans struggle with opioid use disorder and the number of overdose deaths has continued to rise when opioids are abused. Studies have shown that using this class of drugs for chronic pain may be ineffective. Even worse, some studies show that when chronic long term pain is treated with these narcotic drugs this treatment may actually make the pain worse, leading to a vicious cycle where the patient never gets better in spite of being on the pain medications.
It is estimated that around 70% of people who have pain and opioid use is prescribed for have chronic pain, and the CDC guidelines list the various alternative treatments that should be tried before a doctor prescribed this class of medication. There are non narcotic medications which may provide relief, and exercise, physical therapy, and other non drug treatments may also be effective at helping to relieve chronic pain. The CDC is not calling for cancer patients or end of life patients to be refused proper pain management though. According to the report “these medications have a legitimate and important role in the treatment of severe acute pain and some severe chronic pain conditions but they are also overprescribed or prescribed without adequate safeguards and monitoring. According to the CDC opioids for patients who have non cancer pain should never be the first line of treatment or the only treatment used.
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A National Institute on Drug Abuse funded research study shows that when states implement prescription drug monitoring programs the rate of opioid overdose deaths is reduced. The research study has been published in the Health Affairs journal, and it also found that when these programs monitored more drugs which had abuse potential and made more frequent database updates the rate of deaths from opioid overdoses were even lower than the reduction seen when the programs did not have these characteristics. Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Division of Neonatology, assistant professor of Pediatrics and Health Policy, and lead author of the study Stephen Patrick, M.D., MPH, M.S., explained that “Today, opioid overdose deaths are more common than deaths from car crashes. Our study provides support that prescription drug monitoring programs are part of what needs to be a comprehensive approach to the prescription opioid epidemic.”
The senior study author of the research study on the effect that prescription drug monitoring programs have on opioid overdose deaths was professor and chair of the Department of Health Policy at Vanderbilt Melinda Buntin, Ph.D. According to Buntin “This work is important not only because it demonstrates that prescription drug monitoring programs can save lives, but also because it shows that there are specific actions that states can take to strengthen their programs.” The opioid abuse epidemic in the USA and Canada is a growing problem. If these programs can reduce the number of people who die from abusing these drugs then they should be implemented everywhere.
