UAMS
News Bureau
Office of Communications & Marketing
4301 West Markham # 890
Little Rock, AR 72205-7199
www.uams.edu/newsbureau |
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News Release
OCT. 17, 2003
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For more information:
Leslie W. Taylor, 501-686-8998
Wireless phone: 501-951-7260
Leslie@uams.edu |
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Elizabeth F. Shores, 501-686-8995
Wireless phone: 501-425-0974
EFShores@uams.edu |
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UAMS Receives $665,000 to Study Depression and Drug Abuse
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| LITTLE ROCK – The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has received a five-year grant of $665,000 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to study best practices for treating depression in substance abusers. Although much is known about how to help substance abusers overcome depression, in actual practice many substance abuse programs struggle with detection and treatment of depression. Geoffrey Curran Ph.D., will develop and test a clear decision process, called an algorithm, for diagnosis and treatment, basing the process on the findings from large scientific studies. This approach is known as evidence-based medicine. Curran also will test ways to disseminate the process to physicians, clinics, and substance abuse programs. Third, he will track how well patients follow doctors’ advice in taking antidepressant medication. Curran plans to expand his research later to incorporate counseling into the algorithm and patient tracking. Curran is a sociologist and assistant professor of psychiatry in the UAMS College of Medicine. UAMS conducts extensive research on approaches to treating substance abuse. It also recently launched a major initiative to disseminate best practice guidelines for high-risk maternal-fetal medicine to obstetricians and family practice physicians in Arkansas, with funding from the federal Medicaid program through the Arkansas Department of Human Services. Major depressive disorder results from chemical imbalances in the brain that are believed to have a genetic basis. Nearly 10 percent of American adults have a depressive disorder. Major depressive disorder is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and in other market economies worldwide. Many people with untreated depression use alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs; between 2000 and 2001, the number of people needing but not receiving substance abuse treatment increased from 3.9 million to 5 million. Treatment for depression typically involves medication and may also involve occasional or intensive psychotherapy, depending on the severity of the disorder.
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University of Arkansas
for Medical Sciences
4301 W. Markham St., Little Rock, AR 72205 |
