Depression Treatments: The Promise of Personalized Medicine
November 18, 2008
7:00-8:30 p.m
Multi-Purpose Room
Ann Arbor District Library, Downtown
353 S. Fifth Avenue
Anyone can develop a mental illness: you, a family member, a neighbor, or a friend. Some disorders are mild, while others are more serious and long-lasting, but almost all of these conditions can be diagnosed and treated, and most people can live better lives after treatment. However, just as no two people have exactly the same kind of cancer, it is also the case that no two people have exactly the same kind of mental illness.
Medications are an important element in the successful treatment of mental illness, often in combination with psychotherapy (or “talk therapy.”) New research about the brain has given scientists hope that in the near future they will be able to personalize the approach to medical management for depressive illnesses, which will treat an individual’s particular symptoms based on their specific genetic background and other biological markers. Although much is promised, and medications are now being marketed based on lab tests, there is considerable work ahead and we are wise to be cautious in our immediate expectations.
To provide greater understanding of how medications can help to treat depressive disorders, the University of Michigan Depression Center and the Ann Arbor District Library will present a Bright Nights community forum entitled, “Depression Treatments: The Promise of Personalized Medicine” on Tuesday, November 18, from 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room of the downtown Ann Arbor District Library (corner of S. Fifth Ave. and William).
Melvin McInnis, MD, will present a brief overview of the latest research on the emerging field of “Pharmacogenetics,” which refers to the genetic basis of response to medications. This will be followed by questions from the audience and a discussion with panelists from the U-M Depression Center, including John F. Greden, MD, Depression Center Executive Director; Vicki Ellingrod, Pharm.D., BCPP, Associate Professor of Pharmacy, U-M College of Pharmacy and Associate Professor of Psychiatry, U-M Medical School; and Sally Guthrie, Pharm.D., Associate Professor of Pharmacy, U-M College of Pharmacy and Associate Professor of Pharmacy, Department of Psychiatry, U-M Medical School.
Bright Nights is open to the public and there is no charge for attendance. For more information, please Trish Meyer, 763-7495, or meyerpa@umich.edu.
