Preventing Depression: Lifestyle Interventions Help

Are you depressed? Well, you're certainly not alone. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that an estimated 1 in 10 U.S. adults are depressed.

For those suffering from depression, several medical options, including drug treatments and therapy sessions, could help with coping skills. Yet a new study shows that meeting with a counselor to work on problem-solving skills may help those with mood disorders.

According to researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Maryland, they found that this common psychological ailment may be helped with lifestyle interventions.

For the study, researchers assessed whether problem-solving therapy for primary care (PST-PC) could help to prevent adults who suffered from mild to full-blown symptoms of depression. For this, the team took the novel approach of comparing the PST-PC group for participants who underwent a program of dietary coaching that was similar to their same number of work hours.

Researchers also used innovative strategies to better recruit and retain African-American study participants by building on a culturally tailored approach developed by Sandra Quinn, Ph.D., and Stephen Thomas, Ph.D., co-investigators from the University of Maryland Center for Health Equity.

"Because racial minorities are at greater risk for depression, in part due to socioeconomic disadvantages, lower educational attainment and a greater likelihood of other medical problems, we established a foundation of trust working through churches and community-based organizations in black communities," said Dr. Quinn, via a press release. Of the 244 participants, 90, or more than a third, were African-American.

"This project tells us that interventions in which people actively engage in managing their own life problems, such as financial or health issues, tend to have a positive effect on well-being and a protective effect against the onset of depression," said lead study author Charles F. Reynolds III, M.D., UPMC Endowed Professor of Geriatric Psychiatry.

What do you think?

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Psychiatric Services.