Depression Flashcards
What are 2 questions that can be used to screen for depression?
- During the last month, have you often been bothered by feeling down, depressed or hopeless?
- During the last month, have you often been bothered by having little interest or pleasure in doing things?
What are 2 key assessment tools that can be used to assess the degree of depression?
- Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale
- Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
What does the HAD score consist of?
14 questions, 7 for anxiety and 7 for depression, each item score 0-3.
Produces score out of 21 for both anxiety and pression
How should the results of the HAD score be interpreted?
- score out of 21 for both anxiety and depression
- 0-7 normal
- 8-10 borderline
- 11+ case
How should you advise patients to answer the HAD scale?
encourage to answer the questions quickly
What does the PHQ-9 consist of?
asks patients over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by any of the following problems?
- 9 items which can be scored 0-3
How should the results of the PHQ-9 be interpreted?
- out of 27
- 0-4 none
- 5-9 mild
- 10-14 moderate
- 15-19 moderately severe
- 20-27 severe
What are the 9 DSM-IV criteria used by NICE to grade depression?
- Depressed mood most of day
- Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities
- Significant weight loss of weight gain when not dieting or decrease or increase in appetite
- Insomnia or hypersomnia
- Psychomotor agitation or retardation
- Fatigue or loss of energy
- Feelings or worthlessness or excessie or inappropriate guilt
- Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness
- Recurrent thoughts of death, recurrent suicidal ideation without specific plan, or suicide attempt or specific plan for suicide
How do the 9 DSM-IV criteria translate to a diagnosis or categorisation of depression?
- subrethresold symptoms: <5 symptoms
- mild depression: few symptoms in excess of 5 symptoms. only minor functional impairment
- moderate depression: symptoms are between mild and severe
- severe depression: most symptoms, and they markedly interfere with functioning. ± psychotic symptoms
What are 3 approaches to the management of subthreshold depressive symptoms or mild depression?
- General measures
- Drug treatment
- Low-intensity psychosocial interventions
What are 2 general measures to aid the management of persistent subthreshold depressive symptoms or mild to moderate depression?
- Sleep hygiene
- Active monitoring for people who do want an intervention
What are 4 situations when you should consider the use of antidepressants for subthreshold or mild depression?
- Past history of moderate or severe depression
- Initial presentation of subthreshold depressive symptoms that have been present for a long period (typically at least 2 years)
- Subthreshold symptoms or mild depression that persists after other interventions
- Chronic physical health problem and mild depression complicates care of the physical health problem
What is the general advice about management of mild/subthreshold depression with drug treatment?
should not be routinely used
What are 4 types of low-dose psychosocial interventions for mild/subthreshold depression?
- Individual guided self-help based on CBT principles
- Computerised CBT
- Structured group physical activity programme
- Group-based CBT
What are the 2 things that individual guided self-help based on CBT principles includes?
- Behavioural activation
- Problem-solving techniques
What are 2 things that individual guided self-help based on CBT should include?
- Include written materials (or alternative media)
- Be supported by a trained practitioner who reviews progress
Over what time course and number of sessions sohuld individual guided self-hep based on CBT occur?
- 6-8 sessions (face to face and by telephone)
- over 9-12 weeks, including follow up
What are 3 things that computerised CBT should involve for mild/subthreshold depression?
- Explain the CBT model
- Encourage tasks between sessions and use thought-challenging and active monitoring of behaviour, thought patterns and outcomes
- Be supported by trained practitioner who reviews progress
Over what time should computerised CBT occur?
9-12 weeks including follow-up
What should structured group physical activity programmes involve for mild/subthreshold depression, in terms of number of sessions and time course?
consist of 3 sessions per week (lasting 45 minutes to 1 hour) over 10-14 weeks
What are 2 things that group-based CBT should include?
- Based on model such as ‘Coping with depression’
- Be delivered by two trained and competent practitioners
What group size and over what time course should group-based CBT take place?
8-10 participants
consist of 10-12 meetings, over 12-16 weeks including follow up
What in an additional intervention that NICE recommend for patients with chronic physical health problems who have mild/sub-threshold depression?
- Consider group-based peer support programme
- focus on sharing experiences and feelings associated with chronic health problem
- usually 1 session per week over 8-12 weeks
What are 2 key management aspects for unresponsive, moderate or severe depression?
- Antidepressant (normally SSRI)
- high-intensity psychological interventions
What are 4 forms of high-intensity psychosocial interventions that should be considered to patients with unresponsive, moderate or severe depression?
- Individual CBT
- Interpersonal therapy (IPT)
- Behavioural activation
- Behavioural couples therapy
What do sessions and time frames for individual CBT for unresponsive/moderate/severe depression involve?
- 16-20 sessions over 3-4 months
- 2 sessions per week for first 2-3 weeks
- 3-4 follow-up sessions over next 3-6 months
What do sessions and time frames for behavioural activation for unresponsive/moderate/severe depression involve?
- 16-20 sessions over 3-4 months
- 2 sessions per week for first 3-4 weeks
- 3-4 follow up sessions over next 3-6 months
What do sessions and time frames for interpersonal therapy (IPT) for unresponsive/moderate/severe depression involve?
- 16-20 sessions over 3-4 months
- for sevre depression, consider 2 sessions per week for first 2-3 weeks
What do sessions and time frames for behavioural couples therapy for unresponsive/moderate/severe depression involve?
- 15-20 sessions over 5-6 months
If people with unresponsive/moderate/severe depression decline high-intensity psychological interventions what are 2 further options?
- Counselling - if persistent, subthreshold depresion symptoms or mild to moderate depression
- Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy - if mild to moderate
Over what time frame and number of sessions should counselling be offered?
- 6-10 sessions over 8-12 weeks
Over what time frame and number of sessions should short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy be offered?
16-20 sessions over 4-6 months
What are 2 things you should offer to patients with chronic health problems and moderate/severe or unresponsive threshold?
- group-based CBT
- individual CBT
What should be done when switching from citalopram, escitalopram, sertraline, or paroxetine to another SSRI?
first SSRI should be withdrawn (gradually reduced and stop) before the alternative SSRI is started
What should be done when switching from fluoxetine to another SSRI?
withdraw (gradually reduce then stop) then leave a gap of 4-7 days (as it has a long half-life) before starting a low-dose of the alternatives SSRI