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Alternative
Medicine First
Choice For Depression
NEW
YORK (Reuters Health) - People with anxiety or depression are
more likely to use complementary or alternative medicine than
to go see a traditional mental health professional, according
to results of a nationwide survey conducted by Harvard researchers.
The investigators
found that more than half of people who reported suffering from
anxiety attacks or severe depression used some form of alternative
medicine as treatment during the past year, while only about one-third
went to see a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker or physician.
``It's quite
amazing how many people are using this stuff,'' lead author Dr.
Ronald C. Kessler, a professor of healthcare policy at Harvard
Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, told Reuters Health. ``I
think it's clear that people's faith in institutions is going
down--alternative therapy capitalizes on that.''
The survey,
published in the February issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry,
was funded in part by the National Center for Complementary and
Alternative Medicine, a branch of the National Institutes of Health.
In the survey,
more than 2,000 people were asked during a telephone interview
to report on their health status and their use of various treatments.
Around 7% of the respondents reported having suffered from severe
depression in the previous year, while 9% reported having anxiety
attacks.
Depression
and anxiety were the most common conditions that led people to
try alternative therapies, with the exception of chronic back
or neck pain, the authors note.
More than
half of the respondents suffering from these two common mental
ailments reported using some kind of alternative medicine during
the last year. The therapies spanned a wide variety of some 24
treatments including herbs, megavitamins, special diets, massages,
acupuncture, aromatherapy, yoga and even laughter therapy.
The two most
popular treatments, though, were relaxation techniques and spiritual
healing, such as group prayer. Relaxation was used by about one
in five people, and spiritual healing was used by nearly 10%.
The majority
of this alternative therapy was self-administered--only around
20% of the respondents suffering from anxiety or depression reported
visiting a complementary medicine specialist.
But those
who were using alternative medicine were highly likely to also
see a traditional healthcare provider. Around two thirds of those
with depression and anxiety who saw a conventional mental health
professional also reported using alternative medicine.
``The kind
of people who use alternative medicine have not rejected medicine,
they also go to doctors and they pray,'' Kessler said. ``They
do all 10 things.''
In light of
these findings, it is crucial that traditional mental healthcare
providers ask their patients if they are using complementary medicine,
the researchers conclude. ``It should be a requirement for every
doctor giving drug therapy to patients to query that patient about
their use of alternative therapies,'' Kessler said.
Potential
risks, such as interactions between certain herbal remedies and
prescribed medications, have recently been reported. For example,
mixing St. John's wort--an herb used for depression--and depression
medications like Prozac can have potentially dangerous side effects
such as nausea and confusion.
Overall, patients
perceived their use of alternative therapies in a positive light,
rating the care of traditional mental health providers about as
helpful as the alternative therapies.
Around 58%
of those with severe depression said seeing a therapist was ``very
helpful,'' while 52% said their use of complementary medicine
was ``very helpful.''
Similarly,
67% of those reporting anxiety attacks rated the use of traditional
mental health therapies as ``very helpful,'' while 60% rated their
alternative therapies that way.
SOURCE:
American Journal of Psychiatry 2001;158:289-294.
Reference
Source 89
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