Weekly Mind Reader: Treatment Options Face Off

The latest Weekly Mind Reader includes a test of two treatment options, a case report of intolerable nausea, and the launch of our new series on difficult-to-treat depression.

Collaborative Care Outperforms Specialty Psychiatry

Roughly one in five U.S. adults endure at least some level of depression. And that kicks off a chain reaction that drives up healthcare costs, leading to an economic impact of more than $326 billion annually.

And yet, despite evidence that backs up a treatment regime of psychotherapy and medication, about half of these patients can’t get adequate care.

It’s in this frustrating climate that collaborative care has emerged to bridge this care gap. Multiple studies have shown that this approach works far better than legacy care models in primary care settings, mitigating symptoms and improving quality of life.

Nevertheless, caregivers still routinely overlook collaborative care and refer most patients to specialty psychiatry. Pointless delays and poorer outcomes usually follow.

A recent study – appearing this week in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry – put these two approaches to the test, comparing the effectiveness of virtual collaborative care and virtual specialty psychiatry for treating depression and anxiety.

The results suggested that patients in collaborative care experienced greater reductions in depressive and anxiety symptoms over six months than those referred to specialty psychiatry. The researchers also noted that collaborative care resulted in a 159 percent improvement in depression remission and a 300 percent improvement in anxiety remission compared to specialty psychiatry.

The research underscores the efficacy of collaborative care in treating mild-to-moderate depression and anxiety symptoms. And this new evidence reinforces the argument that it could play a growing role in improving access to mental health care and making the most of strained psychiatric resources.

Finally, this paper also illustrates that more research on real-world implementation, especially in virtual settings, could help boost access. – and outcomes.

IN OTHER PSYCHIATRY AND NEUROLOGY NEWS

• The first in a string of compelling case reports in the Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders explores the potential drug interaction between lurasidone and semaglutide and a bout of intolerable nausea.
• JCP research argues that cognitive function doesn’t moderate depression outcomes in vortioxetine, with results comparable to other antidepressants.
• Another PCC case report on a teen with vasculitis, autoinflammation, immunodeficiency, and hematologic defects syndrome who presented with depression.
• Don’t miss our new series exploring difficult-to-treat depression.
• And catch up on our latest installments covering PTSD and trauma.