- With Mayo Clinic psychiatrist
Gabrielle J. Melin, M.D.
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Gabrielle J. Melin, M.D.
Gabrielle J. Melin, M.D.
Dr. Gabrielle Melin, board certified in general psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine, is looking for ways to empower patients and families dealing with chronic mental illness. She encourages patients to commit to working together with their physicians and health care teams.
Dr. Melin completed medical school at the University of Minnesota. She completed both her psychiatry residency and consultation-liaison fellowship at Mayo Clinic before joining the Mayo Clinic staff in 2001. She is medical director of Mayo Clinic Psychiatry Emergency Services in Rochester, Minn. She has special interests in emergency psychiatry, adult psychiatry and addiction psychiatry.
"Instilling hope is one of the most important things we can do for patients and families. Mental illness can be chronic and significantly impacts lives. Our goal is to provide the best treatment and education so that patients can manage their symptoms more effectively," she said.
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Depression blog
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Oct. 9, 2008
Concerned about your mental health? Get depression screening
By Gabrielle J. Melin, M.D.
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Information on depression is seen almost daily in the media. The World Health Organization projected that depression will rank second in worldwide disease burden by 2020. Heart disease will remain first.
Depression is recognized as the leading cause of disability measured in disability adjusted life years (DALYs). DALYs are defined as the sum of years of potential life lost due to premature mortality and the years of productive life lost due to disability.
Depression screening is just as important as it is for other medical diseases like heart disease and diabetes.
Last week, we talked about the American Heart Association's new recommendation to screen all patients with cardiac disease for depression. The month of October was designated as national depression screening month several years ago. If you are concerned that you or a loved one may be depressed, get screened.
This can be done on-line or in with your health care provider. The PHQ-9 is one of the many self-rated depression screening tools. It asks you to rate different symptoms of depression over the last 2 weeks and takes just a few minutes to fill out. The link is posted below with the PHQ-9 and information on the total score.
A depression screening online is not the same as a professional diagnosis. If you are having frequent thoughts of death, that life is not worth living, or suicidal thoughts, seek medical attention immediately. Remember, depression can be treated.
7 comments posted
May 24, 2009 1:37 a.m.
The Lord definitely does wonders in our lives, but we also have the free will to choose and act. It is like a small fishing boat that has two oars. One oar is God's will and the other is ours. We need both to reach the shore.
- cila
December 23, 2008 2:06 p.m.
Why is depression and anxiety more intense first thing in the morning when you wake up? I have never been able to get a straight answer from anyone.
- A.
December 22, 2008 7:07 a.m.
Serotonin Enhancing Psychotropic Pharmaceuticals In the 1930s, physicians approached the mental illness of depression a bit differently that we do today. While acknowledging a likely cause of depression in one of their patients is often due to some great misfortune, they seemed to focus on what is called a complex. A complex is disturbances of ideas and impulses that are the cause of consistent habitual patterns of thought, feelings, and behavior. An example of this state of mind of one who is depressed is one who experiences an exaggerated or obsessive concern or fear. And the etiology for this mental disorder was often undefined. People react differently to life stressors in their life, so depression cannot be empirically determined. In the 1930s, psychotherapy such as cognitive therapy was recommended for treating the depressed patient, and not pharmacological therapy. Also considered for the depressed patient was positive lifestyle changes that would lessen the pain that the depression was causing them. Try and be grateful, they would tell their patient, as well as thankful and appreciative for whatever good may be in their life, and normally the depressed patient would eventually recover Times have changed since then. Presently, serotonin-enhancing drugs are the therapeutic regimens for those who are suspect of having a depressed state, or perhaps the patient simply asks for these types of drugs due to their perception that they are depressed. Furthermore, and
- Dan
October 23, 2008 3:27 a.m.
I think the drugs LuLu has been taking are more mood elevating and anti-anxiety drugs. I think you need a therapist to help you get to the source of the sadness.
- Lori
October 21, 2008 5:22 p.m.
Have you considered seeing a naturopathic doctor? Many things are diet related or happen because our bodies are out of balance somehow. I highly recommend you try it --- acupunture may also help
- Diane
October 15, 2008 3:56 p.m.
I have been depressed for the past five or six years. Meds I have tried Welbutron, paxil, Cymbalta, Lexapro. Perhaps the Drs and I didn't work hard enough to get just the right combination, but I wake up crying every morning.
- Lulu
October 11, 2008 6:11 p.m.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. consecrate yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you. (The Holy Bible)
- Rosette from Philippines
7 comments posted