124 Depression: When Medication Doesn't Work

Dr. Therese Markow talks with psychiatrist and researcher Dr. Daniel Blumberger about depression that does not respond to medications and behavioral cognitive therapy.  Approximately one third of patients suffering from major depression are “Treatment Resistant”.

Fortunately, there are a range of brain stimulation techniques that help the majority of these patients. Electroconvulsive therapy or ETC, has evolved into a much more benign procedure than depicted earlier in movies and has the best outcomes in patients with major depression.  New techniques, involving stimulation of the brain magnetically, such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) also can be effective and are being refined for broader use.  Depression is a serious and sometimes fatal disease, and there is hope for those resistant to pharmaceutical approaches.

 

 

 Key Takeaways:

• Major Depressive Disorder, or MDD, is a debilitating disorder that can be fatal
• About a third of those suffering from MDD, do not respond to. pharmaceutical treatments.
• The majority of these patients benefit from ECT, which now has been greatly improved.
• A newer group of brain treatments, using magnetic stimulation, also are useful for Treatment Resistant Depression.
• Sufferers should ask their physicians about access to these non-pharmaceutical treatments.

 

 

"It is very important to intervene early when someone isn’t responding to medication. The more treatments that someone doesn’t respond to, the less likely that they will respond to each subsequent course of treatment. The longer things linger, the harder it is to get someone better." —  Dr. Daniel Blumberger

 

Connect with Dr. Daniel Blumberger:

CAMH Profile: Dr. Daniel Blumberger  

 

 

Connect with Therese:

Website:   www.criticallyspeaking.net

Twitter: @CritiSpeak

Email: [email protected]

 

 

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.  

 

 

 

Daniel Blumberger

Date of appointment May 8, 2020

Date created May 3, 2020

 

Critically Speaking Guest Interview

 

https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=16987289&action=appt&id%5B%5D=29e531037007b14b2f367229a9f7cb65

 

Name: Daniel Blumberger

Phone: (415) 535-8501

Email: [email protected]

 

Guest Intake Form

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Provide a link to your website or online professional profile/bio: https://www.camh.ca/en/science-and-research/science-and-research-staff-directory/danielblumberger

 

Provide any links to social media or publications such as articles or books you would like to share with the audience.: 

 

Please provide your professional affiliation and areas of expertise and you would like it to appear in our show notes.: Medical Head and Co-Director, Temerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain Intervention at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto

 

Is there anything specific you’d like to share with our audience?: no

 

Are there specific questions you'd like Therese Markow to ask you? Please include them here.: 

 

By selecting yes, you grant permission to Therese Markow to record the interview, post content on the internet obtained during the interview, and promote the content. Once published, any editing will not be possible.: yes