6 ms·
How do you definitively test for depression? Are the diagnostic methods pretty good? Both accurate and precise with very low false positive rates? Is the medi
by jtchang 14y ago
How do you definitively test for depression?
Are the diagnostic methods pretty good? Both accurate and precise with very low false positive rates?
Is the medication proven to work for depression?
Sorry but I think a lot of that can be argued that we are still shooting in the dark. I want a test for depression like I test for strep throat. AND I want the "cure" to be repeatable.
Yes we are still in the dark ages.
- erikpukinskis 14y agoAre the diagnostic methods pretty good? Both accurate and precise with very low false positive rates? Yes: "Overall sensitivity was 84% (95% CI, 79% to 89%); overall specificity was 72% (CI, 67% to 77%)" (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7755226 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7755226) Is the medication proven to work for depression? There's no such thing as proof in science. A recent meta-analysis: "Most patients treated with serotonergic antidepressants showed a clinical trajectory over time that is superior to that of placebo-treated patients. However, some patients receiving these medications did more poorly than patients receiving placebo. These data highlight the importance of ongoing monitoring of medication risks and benefits during serotonergic antidepressant treatment" (http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1107437 http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=11074...)