To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Structured Wellness Program Helps Improve Psychiatric Symptoms and Indices of Physical Health in Mood Disorder Patients: Presented at CPA URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/22B90A.htm Doctor's Guide September 9, 2008
By Thomas S. May VANCOUVER -- September 9, 2008 -- Patients with mood disorders such as major depression and bipolar disorder are at increased risk for a variety of physical illnesses, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, a structured wellness program can help prevent some of these diseases, while also improving psychiatric symptoms, according to a study presented here at the 58th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA). The research was presented during a poster session on September 5 by investigator Valerie Taylor, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neuroscience, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. Dr. Taylor and colleagues created a structured wellness program for both patients and their families. The program was composed of a 16-week group educational component that focused on nutrition, activity, and behavioural activation, as well as individual training sessions in a public fitness facility. Twenty adults 24 to 65 years old completed the program. The researchers obtained height and weight measurements, a fasting lipid profile, and glucose level, as well as scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale before and after the wellness intervention. Analysis of the results showed that significant improvements occurred in patients' body mass index (P < .01), self-esteem (P < .05), and BDI score (P < .05). Numeric improvements were also observed in lipid profiles and glucose levels. According to the investigators, these data indicate that structured wellness programs can positively affect the physical and psychiatric well-being of patients with mood disorder. Dr. Taylor cautioned, however, that these results are preliminary, and the study is still ongoing. "We are focused on long-term program development and implementation, and hope to change the way physicians practice," she explained. "We are focusing on patients with a mood disorder, with an aim of reducing medical illness and improving adherence to treatment." "We are attempting to ultimately design a program that reduces physical illness in this population," she added. The study was jointly funded by a Hamilton Community Health, Education, and Research Award, and an Eli Lilly Solutions for Wellness Neuroscience Award. [Presentation title: Efficacy of a Structured Wellness Program on Indices of Physical Health and Psychiatric Symptoms in Patients With a Mood Disorder. Abstract P06] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.