An effective new treatment for depression

The UK’s leading charity for depression, Depression Alliance, estimates that more than 2.9 million people in the UK are diagnosed as having depression at any one time, although this is thought to be conservative(2). As many as one in five people will be affected by depression at some point in their lives with most families in the UK being affected by this seriously debilitating condition(3).

Depression is one of the most serious illnesses we face today. Yet, whilst we’ve seen considerable improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of depression a new survey by Medix carried out amongst GPs across the UK has revealed much is still to be done(4). Statistics show that they see at least one depressed person at every surgery(5). Despite these numbers, results from a new survey of the general public has shown that there are still many people who suffer depressive symptoms for long periods of time before they seek help(6).

This survey, conducted amongst 2,000 people across the UK, demonstrated that a major problem of tackling depression is that people do not recognize that they are ill. Almost three quarters of all respondents (72%) reported that it took at least 6 months of grinding symptoms like sleep disturbance, low mood and self-esteem before they went to see their GP.

Surprisingly some people, such as a third of responders in the North East (34%) and a quarter in the Midlands and Yorkshire (24% and 23% respectively), wait more than 12 months before seeking help from their GP. This compares with only 6% in the South West where the majority of responders consulted their GP between one to three months after suffering symptoms of depression. The most worrying aspect was the poor understanding of the condition by young adults, two thirds of whom (64%) waited six months and a quarter (26%) of whom waited a year before visiting their GP. Yet, eventually making the step to see their GP, helped people in their recovery with, 89% of all responders saying that they found their doctor to be ‘helpful’ with a third (32%) stating that their GP was a ‘lifesaver’ to them.

Commenting on the survey, Dr Alan Wade, a GP from Glasgow said, ‘It’s good news to hear that the majority of people in the survey found their GP to be helpful. Drug treatments are most often prescribed and this latest treatment, Cipralex marks a useful new addition in the treatment of depression because it is effective and for some patients, it starts relieving symptoms within the first week’

Notes

Cipralex is available by prescription only.

Several classes of drug treatment are available for depression. Most of these are based around two kinds of neurotransmitter, or molecules in the brain that are known to influence mood. These are serotonin and noradrenalin. Cipralex (escitalopram) belongs to the group of drugs called SSRIs – selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors – the class drugs that have become the treatment of choice for doctors across the UK. Cipralex is the most selective drug for serotonin to be developed so far.

Like all medicines, SSRIs do have some side effects, which may cause the patient to stop taking the drug, but in the studies patients taking Cipralex (escitalopram) were no more likely to stop taking the drug than those taking placebo (dummy pills).

The World Health Organization estimates that by 2020, depression will be the second leading cause of disability. Each year in the UK, 30 times more working days are lost due to depression than for each working day due to industrial action.

Half of all depressed patients will have more than one episode. Depression impacts on all aspects of life, including work, relationships and other interests. Furthermore, untreated depression is a major factor in suicide and attempted suicide. Of the 3,800,000 telephone calls to the Samaritans in England alone in 2000, 16% or 608,000 of them were from people feeling suicidal.

Depression is an illness that can be triggered by external circumstances (death, divorce or debt being the most common) or internally i.e. disease e.g. heart attack, cancer. It is estimated that four times as many people suffer depression as a result of external circumstances than depression triggered by endogenous reasons.

Lundbeck Ltd., the makers of Cipralex, are a company uniquely dedicated to the discovery and development of novel treatments for disorders of the central nervous system. The company’s current research activities include anxiety, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Lundbeck’s mission is to improve the quality of life of those who suffer from psychiatric and neurological illness. They believe this is best achieved through investment in knowledge, research, education and holistic attitudes to patient care.

References

1. Gorman JM, Korotzer A, Su G. Efficacy comparison of escitalopram and citalopram in the treatment of major depressive disorder: pooled analysis of placebo-controlled trials. CNS Spectrum, 2002; 7(4, suppl 1):40-44

2. Ohayon MM, Priest RG, Guilleminault C et al. The prevalence of depressive disorders in the UK. Biol Psychiatry, 1999; 45:300-307

3. Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1992

4. GP Internet Survey. Medix UK plc; May 2002

5. Clinical Standards Advisory Group. Services for people who have depression, 1999

6. Omnimas Depression Study. Taylor Nelson Sofres; May 2002