| Follow-up for Anti-Depressant Treatment |
Overall Rank: 7 |
For individuals being treated with antidepressants, establish and maintain follow-up contact (e.g. office visits, phone calls, or other) at intervals tailored to their mental health status.
Domain : Continuity
Services are offered as a coherent and coordinated succession of events in keeping with the health needs and personal context of patients. Health care is linked to other services to support successful treatment.
Rationale
Improving attitudes toward antidepressant medications along with the patients ability to handle medications side-effects and key factors in promoting greater adherence to maintenance treatment and thus greater likelihood of preventing relapse. Interventions toward this end may include patient visits with a depression prevention specialist (PhD, MSN, MSW who has received special training) and follow-up phone calls. Interventions are critical to educating the patients regarding the importance of preventing relapse, safety and efficacy of medications and management of potential side effects.
The prevention of relapse is of primary importance in the treatment of major depression. From 50 to 85% of people who suffer an episode of major depression will have a recurrence, usually within two or three years. Patients who have had three or more episodes of major depression are at 90% risk of having another episode. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Interpersonal Therapy help protect against/prevent relapse.
Primary Reference
Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement. (2006). Major Depression in Adults in Primary Care. Retrieved July 13, 2006, from http://www.icsi.org/display_file.asp? FileId=168 &title=Depression,%20Major,%20In%20Adults%20in%20Primary%20Care
Level of Evidence
I: Consistently higher quality studies specifically focused on primary mental health care.
- This is imperative as some anti-depressants can trigger manic episodes.
- No show is a key indicator of stress, diminished capacity. In work situations, substance abuse most commonly manifests in absenteeism rather than on-the-job impairment
- The medications themselves should be closely monitored
Variation in Results
|
Ratings-based Rank
| Relevance |
12 |
| Actionability |
8 |
| Overall Importance |
11 |
|
|
Stakeholder Rank
| Academics |
1 |
| Clinicians |
4 |
| Consumers |
38 |
| Decision Makers |
10 |
� |
|
Special Group Rank
| First Nations |
6 |
| Rural Areas |
42 |
| Federal Stakeholders |
1 |
|
Regional Rank
| BC |
AB |
SK |
MB |
ON |
QC |
NB |
NS |
PE |
NL |
YT |
NT |
NU |
| 20 |
18 |
13 |
42 |
20 |
8 |
9 |
16 |
22 |
46 |
101 |
32 |
37 |
|
|
Overall Rank
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