PARIS, October 19 /PRNewswire/ --
- With Photo
- Experts call for doctors and people with depression to break the
silence
Eight in ten doctors (84 percent) say their colleagues need to be
educated on the mind-body link while nearly two-thirds (63 percent) are
concerned about misdiagnosing depressed patients with a pain condition due to
possible confusion around the link that experts agree exists between the mind
and the body,(1) according to the results of a survey presented today at the
European regional meeting of the World Organisation of Family Doctors
(WONCA).
Findings from the Mind-Body Connection Survey suggest that understanding
and discussing this mind-body connection can play a vital role in improving
diagnosis and the management of depression for the estimated 121 million
people worldwide who suffer from the condition.(2)
Depression and pain have been shown to share biological pathways and
chemicals, known as neurotransmitters,(3) within the central nervous system
that are involved in the transmission, regulation and perception of both
emotions and pain.(4)
"These results underline the importance of understanding the mind-body
connection," commented Dr. Gabriel Ivbijaro, Chairman of the WONCA Working
Party on Mental Health, which co-commissioned the survey with the World
Federation for Mental Health (WFMH). "Treatment of depression should address
the full range of emotional and painful physical symptoms in order to achieve
remission and reduce the chance of relapse. We call on doctors to probe their
patients for these symptoms and therefore help people to break their
silence," Dr. Ivbijaro urged.
Impact of Physician-Initiated Dialogue on Patient Diagnosis
An overwhelming majority of general practitioners or GPs (85 percent)
believe understanding the mind-body connection helps doctors reach diagnosis
more quickly. However, far fewer GPs (70 percent) are currently probing for
painful physical symptoms as part of their depression diagnosis.
Interestingly, more GPs are likely to probe for these symptoms if they have a
deeper understanding of the mind-body connection (82 percent of those who
understand the connection compared to 54 percent of those who do not).
Impact of Physician-Initiated Dialogue on Depression Management and
Recovery
The survey showed that patients whose doctors initiated a discussion
about the emotional and the physical symptoms of depression saw a positive
impact on depression management and recovery. Nearly nine out of 10
physicians (82 percent) believe that treating painful physical symptoms is
important in achieving remission, the accepted goal of depression treatment.
Additionally those people with depression who had discussed the link with
their physician:
-- understood how their treatment would work to relieve their symptoms
(82 percent of those who discussed the mind-body connection with their
physician understood how their treatment would work, while just
67 percent of those who did not discuss the link with their physicians
understood their treatment); and
-- believed that treating both physical and emotional symptoms would help
them to recover more quickly (81 percent of those who discussed the
mind-body connection with their physician believe it is important to
treat both physical and emotional symptoms, while just 64 percent of
those who did not discuss the connection with their physicians
believed in the importance of treating these symptoms)(1)
Positive Impact of Understanding the Mind-Body Connection
For people with depression, their understanding of the link was also
shown to play a positive role in the management of their condition. Those who
expressed a deeper understanding of the mind-body connection:
-- waited a full one year less before discussing their symptoms with
their GP as compared with those who did not express such understanding
(those who understood the mind-body connection waited 90 weeks and
those who did not understand it waited 148 weeks);
-- were more likely to have a discussion about the connection with their
GP (73 percent of those who understood the mind-body connection
discussed the connection with their GP but only 53 percent of those
who did not understand the connection discussed it with their GP); and
-- were more likely to believe that treating both emotional and pain
symptoms would help them recover more quickly (91 percent of those who
understood the mind-body connection believed that treating both
emotional and pain symptoms would help them recover more quickly,
while only 61 percent of those who did not understood the mind-body,
believed this)(2)
Preston Garrison, Secretary General and CEO of the WFMH and
co-commissioner of the Mind-Body Connection Survey commented, "The WHO
estimates that depression will rank second only to heart disease by 2020 in
terms of global disability , so we urgently call on groups representing
people with depression to embrace the mind-body connection and encourage
others to break the silence and reduce needless suffering."
Based on the survey findings, WONCA and WFMH are planning to provide GPs
with an educational program to increase awareness of the mind-body link and
its role in the management and treatment of depression in the hope of
improving diagnosis, treatment and recovery rates.
The Mind-Body Connection Survey is part of the WFMH's Breaking Through
Barriers depression awareness campaign, a public education initiative
designed to improve the worldwide standard of care in depression. The
campaign is co-sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company and Boehringer Ingelheim
and the survey was commissioned by the WFMH and WONCA in collaboration with
Eli Lilly and Company and Boehringer Ingelheim.
NOTES TO THE EDITOR
Mind-Body Connection Survey -- Methodology
These surveys were conducted online within France, Germany, Mexico,
Brazil, and Australia by Harris Interactive on behalf of WONCA and WFMH
between July 12, 2007 and August 20, 2007.
A total of 252 adults (aged 18 and over) who have received at least one
prescription treatment for depression in the past year and are treated by a
physician were surveyed. Harris also surveyed 501 GPs who are actively
practicing and who see a minimum of five patients for depression per month,
with at least three and no more than 20 years experience in the field.
With samples of this size, one could say with a 95 percent probability
that the overall results would have a sampling error of plus or minus 6
percentage points for the consumer portion and 4.38 percentage points for the
physician portion of the study. Sampling error for data based on sub-samples
would be higher and would vary. Analyses of all sub-sample comparison
included in this backgrounder are statistically significant at a 95 percent
confidence level.
Survey Sub-Groups
People who deeply understood or did not understand the mind-body
connection were defined as follows:
People with depression who understand the mind-body connection were
defined as:
Those who strongly agreed or somewhat agreed to the following
statements:
-- There is medical evidence to prove that your mind has an impact
on how your body feels (mind-body connection)
-- There is a link between pain and emotional symptoms
-- Emotional and pain conditions often occur together because of a
shared neurological pathway
GPs who understand the mind-body connection were defined as:
Those who strongly agreed or somewhat agreed to the following
statements:
-- There is medical evidence to prove that a mind-body connection
exists
-- Serotonin and noradrenaline are involved in the regulation of
emotional and pain perception
-- Emotional and pain conditions often occur together because of
a shared neurological pathway
About the WFMH
The World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) is an international
interdisciplinary membership organization whose mission is to promote, among
all people and nations, the highest possible level of mental health in its
broadest biological, medical, educational, and social aspect. Consultative
status at the United Nations provides WFMH a variety of opportunities to
engage in mental health advocacy at the global level, working closely with
the World Health Organization, UNESCO, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees,
the UN Commission on Human Rights, the International Labor Organization and
others.
About WONCA
The World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) represents and acts as
an advocate for its constituent members at an international level where it
interacts with world bodies such as the World Health Organization. WONCA is
made up of national colleges, academies or organizations concerned with the
academic aspects of general family practice. Beginning with 18 members in
1972, there are now 97 member organizations in 79 countries. This includes
eight organizations in collaborative relations with WONCA. In all, the total
membership of the member organizations of WONCA is over 200,000 general
practitioners/family physicians.
The WONCA Working Party on Mental Health was established in October 2006
and serves as a focus for the development of mental health issues for WONCA
worldwide.
References:
(1) The Mind Body Connection Survey; Conducted by Harris Interactive 2007
(2) World Health Organization. Factsheet - Depression, 2005.
http://www.who.int/mental_health/management/depression/definition/en/
(3) Bair MJ et al. Depression and Pain Comorbidity. A Literature Review;
Archives of Internal Medicine: Vol. 163 No, 20, November 10 2003
(4) Basbaum AI and Fields HL. Endogenous Pain Control Systems: Brainstem
Spinal Pathways and Endorphin Circuitry. Ann. Rev Neurosci.
1984 7:309-38
(5) Murray CJL, Lopez AD, eds. The Global Burden of Disease; 1996.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071019/CLF011LOGO-a)
Note to Editors:
A picture accompanying this release is available from the Euorpean
Pressphoto Agency (EPA) at http://www.epa-photos.com
Breaking Through Barriers
