Talking Depression With Dr. Mark Rappaport
Mark Hyman Rapaport, M.D., the chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Reunette W. Harris Professor at the Emory University School of Medicine and the chief of Psychiatric Services at Emory Healthcare, will discuss depressive disorder when he appears on the Medical Association of Georgia’s (MAG) ‘Top Docs Radio’ program on the Business Radio-X Network at 12 p.m. today, Tuesday, December 27.
“Major depressive disorder has a lifetime prevalence rate of more than 15 percent,” says Dr. Rapaport. “That means some 900,000 people in the Atlanta region alone will suffer from an episode of major depressive disorder at some point in their lives.”
He explains that, “Major depression is associated with increased overall mortality, increased suicide rates, and marked dysfunction at work and in social settings. In addition to the individual, depression affects the patient’s loved ones and colleagues and friends.”
According to Dr. Rapaport, depression is highly comorbid with other medical conditions such as heart disease or high blood pressure or diabetes, and it adds exponential costs to the treatment of those disorders.
He also points out that a World Health Organization study determined that depression is the second greatest cause of disability in the world – and the first among women who are over the age of 18.
Dr. Rapaport will discuss major depressive disorder care, including evidence-based psychotherapies, pharmacological treatments, and somatic therapies – stressing that, “One in three patients who suffer from depression have a form of depression that tends to be resistant to most typically employed treatment interventions…more than 300,000 people suffer from treatment resistant depression in the Atlanta area.”
MAG sponsors the ‘Top Docs’ program at 12 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month. Between downloads and live listeners, MAG’s ‘Top Docs’ show has reached more than 8,300 listeners – which includes people in all 50 states and 84 countries.
MAG’s ‘Top Docs Radio’ show is supported with a grant from Health Care Research, a subsidiary of Alliant Health Solutions.
Click to listen to ‘Top Docs Radio’
Click for Emory Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences web page
Mental Health Resources
Emory Outpatient Clinic: 404.778.5526
Emory Treatment Resistant Depression Clinic: 404.712.8732
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800.273.8250
Georgia Crisis and Access Line (for immediate assistance): 800.715.4225
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance/Atlanta Chapter: www.atlantamoodsupport.com
Mental Health America/Georgia Chapter: www.mhageorgia.org
National Institute of Mental Health: www.nimh.nih.gov
National Alliance on Mental Illness: www.nami.org
