Vagus Nerve Stimulation Should be Used Early in Treatment when Traditional Antidepressants Fail


Lifetime Prevalence of Depression and the Age-of-Onset Report Distributions of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM) in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication

The paragraph title sounds complicated, but the study conclusions are critical and simple to understand. Lifetime prevalence estimates are as follows: anxiety disorders, 28.8%; mood disorders, 20.8%; impulse-control disorders, 24.8%; substance use disorders, 14.6%; any disorder, 46.4%. Median age of onset is much earlier for anxiety (11 years) and impulse-control (11 years) disorders than for substance use (20 years) and mood (30 years) disorders. Half of all lifetime cases start by age 14 years and three fourths by age 24 years. Later onsets are mostly of comorbid conditions, with estimated lifetime risk of any disorder at age 75 years (50.8%) only slightly higher than observed lifetime prevalence (46.4%).

Lifetime prevalence estimates are higher in recent cohorts than in earlier cohorts and have fairly stable intercohort differences across the life course that vary in substantively plausible ways among sociodemographic subgroups.

Conclusions: About half of Americans will meet the criteria for a DSM-IV disorder sometime in their life, with first onset usually in childhood or adolescence. Interventions aimed at prevention or early treatment need to focus on youth and young adults. The earlier the disease is treated, the better chance for a successful recovery. If traditional antidepressants do not provide adequate relief from depression , vagus nerve stimulation therapy is a powerful yet relatively simple procedure.

Sources: Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass (Dr Kessler; Mss Demler and Walters; and Mr Jin); Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Ms Berglund); and Section on Developmental Genetic Epidemiology, National Institute of Mental Health, Rockville, Md (Dr Merikangas).

Learn more about vagus nerve stimulation at www.VagusNerveStimulator.com

Charles Donovan was a patient in the FDA investigational trial for vagus nerve stimulation and depression. He testified to the Panel at the Advisory Meeting on June 15th. After 25 years of chronic depression, vagus nerve stimulation completely cured his chronic depression. The author is so grateful and humbled by this remarkable device. Learn more at his website: http://www.VagusNerveStimulator.com There is a free newsletter to keep you up-to-date.

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Depression Information:

Related Articles

Depression Series: Why Don't I Respond to Medications? (Part 1)
Maria has been feeling depressed for at least two and a half years. About three years ago, her husband of 20 years left her for another woman.
Disability is NOT a Life Sentence
On September 30th 1998 I was crossing the street in a crosswalk when a young man ran through a red light running me over at 40 mph. He dragged me down the street as he tried to leave the scene of the accident.
Depression: Escape Your Mental Prison
There is an illness all around me in modern society that seems to be spreading like the Black Plague once did in Europe so long ago. It's called depression, have you heard of it? Has it affected you? The more I look, the more I see it in so many people in my life, including myself.
Change Your Life Forever with New Medical Breakthrough Treatment for Depression
With the next few weeks, the FDA is expected to issue its final approval of vagus nerve stimulation as a treatment for chronic or recurrent depression. The approval of vagus nerve stimulation will be the first ever FDA approved long-term treatment option for the four million desperate Americans( and their families) who have not had an adequate response to traditional anti-depressants.
Tuning the Music Therapist
Music so strongly evokes emotional responses that it is being more frequently employed in the context of psychotherapy as a powerful healing modality. As a novice in this field I inquired at a recent conference on music therapy as to how this tool effects healing in clients with emotional disorders.
How You Can Learn To Treat Depression
When a person undertakes a course of therapy through theirdoctor, and there is no improvement, they may be sufferingfrom a treatment resistant depression.This is difficult, and takes time to diagnose, since by itsnature, depression is not an illness that can be cured witha ten-day course of drugs, like an infection.
First Thing You Should Do to Get Out of Depression
Depression, in psychiatry, is a symptom of mood disorder characterized by intense feelings of loss, sadness, hopelessness, failure, and rejection. The two major types of mood disorder are unipolar disorder, also called major depression, and bipolar disorder, whose sufferers are termed manic-depressive.
FDA Approves Vagus Nerve Stimulation as a Treatment for Depression
On July 15th, 2005, the U.S.
ADHD and Depression -- More Common Than Thought
"Thanks for Noticin' Me" says Eeyore. He walks slowly.
Depression
Many of us feel depressed at one time or another, but for some, depression may be chronic and even debilitating.Emotions are a normal part of our life.
Biological Psychiatry Confirms of Efficacy and Safety of VNS Therapy for Depression
The September 1, 2005 issue of Biological Psychiatry confirmed the efficacy and safety of vagus nerve stimulation for chronic or recurrent treatment-resistant depression. The U.
25% of Americans Suffer From a Mental Illness and do Not Get Adequate Relief From Antidepressants
According to the June 7th issue of the Wall Street Journal, more Americans are seeking treatment for mental illnesses than ever before, but most of them fail to get adequate care, according to a major new government study.In the once-a-decade report funded by the National Institutes of Health(NIH), researchers found that one-quarter of Americans had a psychiatric disorder in the year prior to the survey, and 40% of them sought treatment, up from just 25% who sought treatment in the previous report a decade ago.
New FDA Approved Therapy for Depression: Timeline from Prescription to Procedure
On July 18, 2005, the U.S.
Senate Finance Committee Delays FDA Approval of Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy for Depression
On June 15th, 2004, FDA's Medical Devices Panel recommended that the U.S.
5 Tips to Reduce Depression
While war and poor economic conditions begin to affect people all over the world, more and more people suffer with depression. The more we focus on news events and the business climate, the more we are depressed.
The Cost of Giving Up
I'm sure at times of deep crisis many of you have considered thoughts of "giving up". What is the cost to you of entertaining such thoughts? Well as one client with a progressively deteriorating illness I was working with stated "it's like having one foot out the back door".
Psychiatrist Begin Training About Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Depression
The manufacturer of the vagus nerve stimulator has begun face-to face meetings with psychiatrists nationwide to educate them about vagus nerve stimulation therapy, how it works and for whom this treatment is indicated. It is very important that both you and your psychiatrist fully understand vagus nerve stimulation therapy so that you can make an informed decision together about this ninety-minute out-patient implant procedure.
How To Help A Stressed Or Depressed Loved One
Having lived with a depressed partner for 3 years andsuffered anxiety and depression for 5 years, I'veexperienced both sides. In this article, I'll show youexactly what you can do - and, what you shouldn't do - tohelp your loved one.
Depression And Celiac Disease
Depression is a condition which affects about 15% of the population. Women are more likely to be affected than men.
Depression and Procrastination: Twins in the Job Search
My definition of procrastination is that a person delays and delays actions that are required by a job or actionsnecessary to accomplish somethingin everyday life.Depression is a mental state that"almost freezes" a person into noaction at all.