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NICE publishes guidance on depression

Way Ahead 2010;14(1):3

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published guidance on the treatment and management of depression in adults with chronic physical health problems[1]. The guidelines recognise that depression is three times more common in people with long-term physical health conditions than in those without.

The guideline makes recommendations on the identification, treatment and management of depression in adults aged 18 years and older who also have a chronic physical health problem, such as a neurological disorder. It also encourages health professionals to be alert to depression in patients with a long-term condition, and points to a range of non-drug treatments that may be successfully used to treat less severe forms of depression. Where antidepressants are prescribed, the guidance advises that due consideration is given to the side effects of the drugs, the impact the drugs might have on the individual's long-term health condition, and any potential interaction with other medications.

The focus that the latest NICE guidance on depression gives to chronic health conditions is encouraging for people with MS. A useful adjuvant to the NICE guidelines is a recent paper published in Seminars in Neurology that reviews a series of steps that can be used by neurologists to diagnose and treat the depressive disorders that occur in their practices[2]. The article explores the frequency, causes and diagnosis of depressive syndromes in neurology and reviews the different methods of treating them. The article also incorporates the Goldman algorithm for the treatment of depression associated with multiple sclerosis, which is aimed at the identification and treatment of MS patients with depression as they appear in neurological care systems.

References

  1. National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence.
    Depression in adults with a chronic physical health problem: full guideline [cited 2009; October 28].
    Available from: URL: www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/CG91FullGuideline.pdf
  2. Schiffer RB.
    Depression in neurological practice: diagnosis, treatment, implications.
    Sem Neurol 2009; 29(3): 220-33.

If you are a health professional and would be interested in attending an MS Trust study day focused around the subject of depression and suicide, contact the MS Trust Education Team

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