Mental Disorders

Updated NICE Guideline for Depression

The UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has updated the guideline on management of depression with new recommendations. In the new guideline, depression is classified as “less severe” and “more severe”. More severe includes moderate and severe, and less severe includes mild and sub-threshold depression. Sub-threshold has been defined as just below the cut-off (fewer than five symptoms) on a validated depression scale for the evidence reviews. The recommendations including: Discuss treatment options with people with a new episode of depression, to match the choice of treatment to their needs and preferences. Consider the least intrusive and least resource-intensive available treatment (eg, guided self-help) first for less severe depression. Do not routinely offer antidepressant medication as first line treatment for less severe depression unless that is the person’s preference. Choice of further line treatment should be guided by patient preference and what has been tried already. Consider stepping up to an alternative psychological therapy and/or a different antidepressant. Discuss with people that continuation of antidepressants or psychological therapies after full or partial remission may reduce their risk of relapse and help them stay well. Reach a shared decision on whether to continue a treatment for depression based on their clinical needs and preferences. Discuss with people the potential risks of continuing with antidepressants long term, and how these balance against the risks of depression relapse, including possible side effects and difficulty stopping antidepressants. When stopping antidepressants, advise a relatively long tapering using a proportional (hyperbolic) reduction schedule over months rather than weeks reduces the risk of withdrawal symptoms. Treatment options including: Guided self-help, cognitive behavioral therapy, behavioral activation, exercise, mindfulness and meditation, interpersonal psychotherapy, counselling, short term psychodynamic psychotherapy, individual problem-solving, and antidepressant medication. Source: https://www.bmj.com/

hyangiu

Recent Posts

Circadian Depression Subtype Linked to More Severe Symptoms and Poorer Antidepressant Response

A circadian subtype of depression is associated with earlier disease onset, more severe clinical features,…

4 days ago

Frequent and Unintentional Daytime Napping Linked to Higher Dementia Risk

A longitudinal study of 995 U.S. older adults found that frequent and unintentional daytime napping…

5 days ago

A Common CD36 Variant of Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Individuals of African Ancestry

A multicohort genetic association study found that the ancestry-enriched CD36 Y325* variant accounted for a…

5 days ago

Exercise Prescription: A Core Component of CVD Prevention and Treatment

An American College of Cardiology scientific statement emphasizes that exercise should be prescribed as a…

5 days ago

Low-Fat Vegan Diet Improves Metabolic Health in T2D

A 16-week low-fat vegan diet was associated with significant reductions in body weight, visceral fat,…

2 weeks ago

Intensive BP Lowering Reduced Cardiovascular Risk but Increased eGFR Decline

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 27 studies involving 88,830 participants found that intensive blood…

2 weeks ago

This website uses cookies.