Treatment Options
Treating Depression
Care is provided by multidisciplinary
teams who combine medication treatments, psychotherapy
(counseling), group therapies and educational strategies.
Our teams build upon the expertise of each clinician in a
wide range of areas such as: pharmacology, disease management,
family treatments, marital treatments, cognitive and interpersonal
therapies. These offer support for common antecedents and
consequences of depression such as loss, trauma, abuse, and
professional crises effecting all races, ages and genders.
For our Medical Center, and local patients, and colleagues we are able to offer brief, collaborative treatments for depression. Typically these involve evidence-based diagnostic assessments, and appropriate medication and psychotherapy treatments. The volume of demand for the Depression Center does not make it possible for us to treat a large number of patients on a long-term basis. Instead, we are pleased to provide "collaborative treatment" in which clinicians within the Depression Center interact with primary care doctors to treat patients for a time-limited period, stabilizing acute symptoms with continued ongoing and maintenance treatments provided by the primary care doctors. Generally, these treatments will be provided in the original clinical setting, such as the Women's Health Center, Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Student Health, Cancer Center, or Geriatrics Center. For patients seen outside the Medical Center, they will be returned to a community provider close to their home. A number of specialty clinics are operating within the Department of Psychiatry for those patients for whom this approach is not workable.
Medications
Medications are often prescribed for the effective treatment
of depression. These medications are based on clinical guidelines
that have been rigorously tested for many years. Patients
typically receive medication early in their treatment and
continue receiving medication during the maintenance phase
to keep symptoms in remission. To learn more, click
here.
Therapy
Therapy - or counseling - is used alone or with medication.
There are different types of therapy, including cognitive-behavioral
therapy (CBT) and interpersonal
therapy (IPT), which are most often used for depression.
Each relies on communication as the basic tool for changing
feelings and behaviors. Counseling is part of a total treatment
approach that may involve individuals, couples, groups or
families. It helps depressed individuals resolve conflicts,
improve work and family relations, recover from trauma and
loss, and be more accepting of ongoing medication treatments.
Family Services
Because depression has a profound impact
on family members, the U-M Depression Center
encourages "partnerships in treatment"
through a variety of ongoing family services.
These services include:
- Family Education Workshops
- Assessment and referral for family members seeking treatment
- Information on community resources
To learn more, click here.
Michigan Depression Outreach and Collaborative Care (M-DOCC)
Michigan Depression Outreach and Collaborative Care (M-DOCC) services augment traditional depression services by providing adherence monitoring, care management, education, evidenced based treatments, social skills training, and prevention strategies with other care providers. Care Navigators help coordinate treatments with other services in the medical center, since depression occurs with many medical illnesses. Helping individuals to access appropriate medication, monitoring clinical outcomes and medication side effects, and connecting them with other services (housing, employment, medical, pharmacological) is an important part of the M-DOCC program. To learn more, click here.
The FRIENDS Depression Education and Resource Center (FDERC)
Depression education for patients and their families is a critical component of recovery and the prevention of relapse. Numerous venues for education including written materials, internet information, video, and individual and group education is offered. The FRIENDS Depression Education and Resource Center (FDERC) has a wealth of information related to depression. Please feel free to use this resource along with your families. To learn more, click here.
