Approximately one in ten adults in the United States experience some symptoms of depression, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Over the years, complementary interventions have been gaining in popularity among Americans, and a report published earlier this year showed that depression was among the top health conditions for which such treatments appeared to be most effective.
On Friday, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) at the National Institutes of Health will host a Twitter chat to discuss the safety and effectiveness of these and other complementary health treatments for depression. The chat will be held at 10 AM Pacific time. To join the conversation, use the hashtag #nccamchat or follow @NCCAM.
Participants will be able to ask questions about the use and potential negative effects of various medicines and practices, as well as general questions about depression and its treatment. Joining the conversation will be NCCAM expert Wendy J. Weber, PhD, and Matthew Rudorfer, MD, from the National Institute of Mental Health.
As a friendly reminder, David Spiegel, MD, director of the Stanford Center for Stress and Health and medical director of the Stanford Center for Integrative Medicine, is currently taking questions about managing holiday stress and depression as part of our Ask Stanford Med series. Questions can be submitted to Spiegel by either sending a tweet that includes the hashtag #AskSUMed or posting a question in the comments section of this entry.
Previously: Report highlights how integrative medicine is used in the U.S., More hospitals offering complementary medicine and Meditate and call me in the morning: Study looks at doctors’ referrals for mind-body therapies
