Medical Observer articles

The following articles were prepared by Professor Gordon Parker and published in Medical Observer. They are reproduced here with the kind permission of Medical Observer.

We also have MEDICAL OBSERVER CASE STUDIES - a series which presents common diagnostic subtypes and patterns and highlights how it is just as important to address the cause of the depression as well as treat the depression itself.

• When cheer turns to drear (12 December 2008) [PDF, 105KB] - Christmas is a time of happiness and wellbeing, but there are exceptions.
• Monitoring lithium levels (19 September 2008) [PDF, 93KB] - Lithium revolutionised the management of bipolar disorder, but close monitoring of this medication is required.
• Sadness or sickness? (22 August 2008) [PDF, 90KB] - A new book provides another challenge to the current thinking on depression.
• The argument for unhappiness (25 July 2008) [PDF, 92KB] - Is there an upside to feeling down?
• The pursuit of happiness (20 June 2008) [PDF, 88KB] - Is the positive psychology movement more style than substance?
• Fall in young male suicide (30 May 2008) [PDF, 173KB] - Why has the suicide rate among young men dropped?
• Trials may not reflect real life (4 April 2008) [PDF, 78KB] - Are antidepressant drugs really any better than placebo?
• Persistent depression (29 February 2008) [PDF, 68KB] - Rethinking the management of treatment resistant depression.
• Selecting psychotherapy (1 February 2008) [PDF, 72KB] - If seeking a psychotherapy for a mood disorder, is there a preferred 'type'?
• 'Tis not the jolly season for all (December 2007) [PDF, 88KB] - Spring evokes a vision of new energy, while Christmas is portrayed as a happy and convivial season. But there is a darker side to the picture.
• Chocolate a mood stabiliser? (19 October 2007) [PDF, 91KB]- Why some people crave chocolate when depressed.
• The blues is the new black (21 September 2007) [PDF, 88KB]- The defining and redefining of depression.
• Which antidepressant? (24 August 2007) [PDF, 66KB] - Working out the right antidepressant for the right patient.
• Prescriptive psychiatry (27 July 2007) [PDF, 78KB] -The non-prescriptive approach may not always be the best.
• Getting back in control (29 June 2007) [PDF, 86KB] - Once there was manic depressive illness, requiring hospitalisation and lithium clinic follow-up. Now there are several bipolar subtypes, and management is more pluralistic.