Posted by SLS on June 4, 2011, at 20:14:43
In reply to Re: Do we expect too much of antidepressants today? » SLS, posted by sigismund on June 4, 2011, at 19:19:53
> >Is there any way to tell the difference between a biogenic depression and a psychogenic depression?
>
> Does it in practice matter?
Of course it does. Once an easily administered test for MDD becomes available, we will see that those cases testing positive for biological markers are more apt to respond to medications than to psychotherapy. In the meantime, we must rely upon the keenness of a psychiatrist's diagnostic skills to differentiate between MDD and other presentations of depressed mood that are less apt to respond to medications.> If biogenic depression cannot easily be cured by drugs,
If. That depends on the individual case.
> and if psychogenic depression cannot easily be cured by therapy.........
I think most people who have experienced both types of depression can tell you how very differently they feel and how they respond to various treatments differently. One interesting point to note is that a diagnosis of MDD need not present with depressed mood. Lack of interest is an alternative criterion in the DSM. For me, anergia, amotivation, loss of interest, and cognitive impairments predominate. Depressed mood does not. In other words, MDD can exist without depressed mood. So if depressed mood is not required as a symptom of MDD, then what exactly is "depression"?
I admire Violet's knowledge and understanding of interpersonal dynamics and psychotherapy. For some people, it will work miracles to improve cognition and emotional processing. For others, it will be of no help at all, simply because the wrong illness is assumed.
I know I say this often, but the brain determines the mind as the mind sculpts the brain. The two are inextricable. Yet, each must be evaluated separately. It is not so much of a paradox as it is a recipricol relationship. Psychiatrists should understand this relationship and determine the best treatments for the illnesses they identify.
- ScottSome see things as they are and ask why.
I dream of things that never were and ask why not.
poster:SLS
thread:986896
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20110529/msgs/987162.html