September 14, 2004 - People with diabetes who are depressed are less likely to watch what they eat, to exercise, and to take their medications, researchers report. Summary from Reuters Health via Yahoo. (link is no longer available) "Relationship of Depression and Diabetes Self-Care, Medication Adherence, and Preventive Care" - abstract from Diabetes Care

April 6, 2004 - This week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) contains a free, full-text study on treatments for chronically ill older adults with minor depression. Summary from EurekAlert.

"Community-Integrated Home-Based Depression in Older Adults" - abstract from JAMA

June 18, 2003 - This week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) focuses on the treatment of depression:

"No survival benefit for heart disease patients treated for depression and low social support" - summary from EurekAlert

"The first major study to evaluate the effects of treating depression and low social support in recent heart attack patients found no reduction in deaths or second heart attacks; however, study participants showed significant improvement in depression and social functioning."

"Effects of Treating Depression and Low Perceived Social Support on Clinical Events After Myocardial Infarction" - abstract from JAMA

"The Epidemiology of Major Depressive Disorder" - abstract from JAMA

"Conclusions: Major depressive disorder is a common disorder, widely distributed in the population, and usually associated with substantial symptom severity and role impairment. While the recent increase in treatment is encouraging, inadequate treatment is a serious concern. Emphasis on screening and expansion of treatment needs to be accompanied by a parallel emphasis on treatment quality improvement."

"Educational and Organizational Interventions to Improve the Management of Depression in Primary Care" - abstract from JAMA

"Conclusions: There is substantial potential to improve the management of depression in primary care. Commonly used guidelines and educational strategies are likely to be ineffective. The implementation of the findings from this research will require substantial investment in primary care services and a major shift in the organization and provision of care."

May 28, 2003 - The June issue of Nephrology contains study on depression in dialysis patients in Taiwan. Their findings suggest that the depression found in their chronic haemodialysed patients was not a result of the physical conditions, but a result of psychosocial problems."Depression in chronic haemodialysed patients"- abstract from Nephrology

May 1, 2003 - This month's issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases (AJKD) contains an article that ties malnutrition in ESRD to depression."Association of depression with malnutrition in chronic hemodialysis patients" - abstract from AJKD

January 17, 2003 - A team-oriented approach to the treatment of depression in elders is showing impressive results, according to a new UCLA study. Story from California HealthCare Foundation. (link is no longer available)

January 2, 2003 - The current issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases (AJKD) contains an article showing that depressive symptoms are very common at the start of dialysis therapy and despite a high prevalence, treatment rates are low, even among patients with moderate to severe symptoms of depression."The prevalence and treatment of depression among patients starting dialysis" - abstract from AJKD

August 21, 2002 - The current issue of Medical Hypotheses contains an article that suggests the high incidence of depression in dialysis patients may be related to lower serum selenium concentrations."Role of selenium depletion in the effects of dialysis on mood and behavior" - abstract from Medical Hypotheses (link is no longer available)

May 21, 2002 - The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now finds sufficient evidence to recommend that primary care clinicians screen their adult patients for depression. Story from PR Newswire/Northern Light. (link is no longer available)

Here is the abstract of "Screening for Depression in Adults: A Summary of the Evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force," from the Annals of Internal Medicine.

RenalWEB has several references to depression on the Full and Comfortable Life Topic Page.

January 9, 2002 - The latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has a paper that reports nationwide trends in treating depression:

"National Trends in the Outpatient Treatment of Depression" - abstract from JAMA

Here is a layman's explanation of the paper from Reuters Health/Yahoo. The study found that more people are being treated for depression than ever before, suggesting that the stigma associated with depression may be declining.(link is no longer available)

January 2, 2002 - A new study shows patients suffering from depression who respond to placebo treatment show changes in brain function that are different from those seen in patients who respond to antidepressant treatment. Story from Reuters Health/Yahoo. (link is no longer available)

Here is the abstract of the article entitled, "Changes in Brain Function of Depressed Subjects During Treatment With Placebo".

October 12, 2001 - The onset of end-stage renal disease is often accompanied by emotional trauma that is similar to the distress experienced by victims of disasters and terrorist attacks. Here is an abstract of a paper that appears in the Nephrology Nursing Journal. (link is no longer available)

October 11, 2001 - In an unplanned coincidence, today's 11th annual National Depression Screening Day falls exactly one month after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Mental health volunteers will be available at some 2,000 sites across the country to screen for depression.

September 24, 2001 - National Depression Screening Day has been set for October 11. The centerpiece is a 10-question, true-false screening test. A Screening for Mental Health web site has been set up to support the event.(link is no longer available)

Here is an editorial from the American Medical News web site entitled, "National outreach effort: A simple way you can screen for depression".

An abstract of a study appeared in the May 2001 issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, entitled, "Identification and Treatment of Depression in a Cohort of Patients Maintained on Chronic Peritoneal Dialysis". (link is no longer available) The patients in this study were undergoing peritoneal dialysis at home. The study makes a possible case for routinely screening and treating dialysis patients for depression.

Here is a list of resources for addressing mental health issues following disasters.

July 2, 2001 - Here are three recent articles concerning 'Quality of Life' issues for dialysis patients:"Self-assessed physical and mental function of haemodialysis patients" - abstract from Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation. The study concludes that the self assessed physical and mental health of haemodialysis patients is markedly diminished compared to the general population and other chronic diseases.

"Does ethnicity influence perceived quality of life of patients on dialysis and following renal transplant?" - abstract from Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation. The study demonstrates a lower perceived Quality of Life in Asians compared with white Europeans with ESRD.

"Self-Assessed Quality of Life in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients" - abstract from American Journal of Nephrology

May 30, 2001 - In the June issue of Diabetes Care, Dr. Patrick J. Lustman of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and colleagues report that people with diabetes are twice as likely as nondiabetics to suffer from depression. Here is a press release from the American Diabetes Association. (link is no longer available)

Diabetes is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease.

May 11, 2001 - The national press has picked up a story depression in dialysis patients that comes from an article published in this month's issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.

Here is the abstract of the article entitled, "Identification and Treatment of Depression in a Cohort of Patients Maintained on Chronic Peritoneal Dialysis".

The patients in the study where undergoing peritoneal dialysis at home. The study makes a possible case for routinely screening and treating dialysis patients for depression.

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