Category Archives: Depression

Drinking While on Antidepressants

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Roy Stefanik

Is it OK to drink alcohol when on antidepressants? This is a frequently asked question during office visits, and the answer is not always clear-cut. Alcohol can have differing effects on individuals, often depending on how much they drink. In … Read More »

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Vitamin D for Depression

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Craig C. Krause, M.D.

Vitamin supplements have been touted as a treatment for everything from weight loss to curing the common cold. While the benefit of taking multivitamins is controversial, research published in the Archives of Internal medicine show that Vitamin D may protect … Read More »

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Suicidal Thoughts in Adults

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Roy Stefanik

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released in October 2011 the results of the first study to present state-level data concerning suicidal thoughts and behavior among adults in the United States. The data was from the National Survey … Read More »

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Antidepressant Warnings in Children and Young Adults

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Beverly Reader, MD

In May 2007, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed new warnings about the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in children and young adults who take antidepressant medications. Known as a “black box warning,” it states that antidepressants increase … Read More »

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Depression in Older People

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Craig C. Krause, M.D.

Among community-dwelling older persons the prevalence of major depressive illness is fairly low, at 1%-2%. However, 6% to 10% of older persons seen in ambulatory primary care settings have major depression. Among older patients requiring inpatient care estimates of the … Read More »

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Winter Blues

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Roy Stefanik

Some people report a marked worsening of their mood during the winter months when the amount of sunlight available during the day becomes significantly less. Also referred to as the winter blues, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a form of … Read More »

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Antidepressant Use in the U.S.

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Roy Stefanik

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a data brief summarizing the frequency of antidepressant prescriptions written in the United States.   From 2005 to 2008, antidepressants were the third most common prescription drug taken by Americans of … Read More »

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Self-Embedding Among Teenagers

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Roy Stefanik

The medical journal Pediatrics recently published an article about self-embedding behavior among adolescents, described as an extreme form of self-injury which can involve placing inanimate objects under their own skin or into their muscle.  The act of injuring oneself is … Read More »

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Treatment of Postpartum Depression

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Beverly Reader, MD

There are various treatments available for postpartum depression. Medications used include antidepressants and anxioytics (meds used to help treat anxiety).   The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s) such as fluoxetine (Prozac) or sertraline (Zoloft) tend to be among the most common … Read More »

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Incidence of Postpartum Depression

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Beverly Reader, MD

After childbirth 40-80% of women experience postpartum blues (also known as the baby blues). This will start days after delivery and resolves within 2 weeks.  Some of the symptoms of the baby blues are mild but often rapid mood swings, … Read More »

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