New depression care guidelines emphasize the need for personalized treatments

The Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) has published a new standard to help psychiatric and mental health professionals manage major depression. These guidelines emphasize the need for depression treatments to be more patient-centered.

In essence, the new guidelines encourage providers to involve patients in their own care, from assessment and diagnosis to treatment selection. Through collaboration, clinicians can work with their patients to determine what treatment plan will be most effective for each individual.

The aim is for us to achieve better outcomes and improved quality of life for everyone living with depression.

The guidelines were first published here.

CANMAT is the most widely used standard for managing depression by clinicians globally. And since they last published care guidelines in 2016, there have been numerous studies on depression. Many of these studies highlight the individuality and complexity of depression.

More often than not, the studies reveal insights into why patients' outcomes may differ even when they receive the same treatment. For example, we saw evidence that a person's genetics can influence their response to antidepressants. (Think treatment-resistant depression.)

Hence, CANMAT has updated the depression care guidelines to reflect the recent knowledge and recommendations.

Also, they have added new psychological and pharmacological treatments based on recent findings.

Hopefully, this will help reduce the rate of treatment-resistant depression.

What's more, some of the newly added interventions target not only depression but also other co-occurring problems like anxiety. So clinicians may now be able to kill two birds with a stone.

The guidelines also give directions on how providers can incorporate lifestyle changes like exercise into their treatment process.

The bottom line is, the studies on depression over the past few years are now helping us serve our patients better by offering them more personalized and effective treatment.

You deserve nothing less.

And at Hope Mental Health, our providers understand that depression is pretty unique for each individual.

So, if you're currently battling depression, you can count on us.

We provide safe effective depression care in Boise & Meridian, Idaho, SLC & the Wasatch Front, Utah. Also serving OR, AZ, NV, WA & FL.

Let's work together to create a treatment plan that works best for you.

Get in touch now.

Author

Satu H. Woodland, PMHCNS-BC, APRN Satu Woodland is owner and clinician of Hope Mental Health, an integrative mental health practice located at Bown Crossing in Boise, Idaho. She sees children, adolescents, and adults.  Ms. Woodland with her background in nursing, prefers a holistic and integrative approach to mental health care that addresses the mind and body together. While Ms. Woodland provides medication management services in all her patients, she believes in long-lasting solutions that include a number of psychotherapies, namely cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure and response prevention therapy, attention to lifestyle, evidenced based alternative psychiatric care and spirituality. If you’d like to gain control over your mental health issues, call Hope Mental Health at 208-918-0958, or use the online scheduling tool to set up an initial consultation.