Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has recently reported that prescription rates of anxiety and depression medication have risen substantially in recent months. ⠀
⠀
Anti-anxiety drugs in particular have soared by up to 31%, suggesting uncertainties over health and financial impacts are taking their toll, while antidepressant prescriptions have also risen steadily, up by double-figure percentages (13–22%) over the last year. ⠀
⠀
The trend has led experts to caution that prescribing mental health medication for pandemic-linked issues should not be the default option, with non-pharmacological interventions like lifestyle, dietary and complementary medicines as an option. ⠀
⠀
‘We can see that whilst there is a steady increase in the use of antidepressants, there has been a marked recent increase in anxiolytic prescribing, most notably for diazepam,’ the Outcome Health paper on mental health impacts states.⠀
⠀
‘The trend (for mental health medication) is rising, and we expect that it will continue to do so for some time as the consequences of isolation, fear around COVID-19, social circumstance and the economic impacts persist in the coming months.⠀
⠀
With so much prescribing going on, I question why are Neurotransmitter Testings not more readily available? Why are they not being done before prescribing? ⠀
As a patient of mine you will have access to a very special tool, called a Mood Disorder Appraisal FOR FREE... ⠀
The Bio Concepts Mood Disorder Appraisal assists with determining potential chemical imbalances in patients. It is designed as a tool to help practitioners identify which neurotransmitter pathways may benefit from support, through a questionnaire which can be emailed directly to the patient during or after a consultation to be completed in their own time, once completed, patients can simply click 'submit' and the appraisal results will be emailed immediately to myself for interpretation.⠀
⠀
Although it’s important to note this is only a questionnaire, MDA is, however, a generally reliable clinical assessment and demonstrates that people with similar symptom pictures tend to present with the same deficiencies, even when symptoms can be caused by several neurotransmitters.⠀
⠀
Furthermore, a number of tests were done to compare the deficiencies identified in the MDA with pathology, ie. neuroendocrine metabolites and blood histamine levels. The results did coincide and the neurotransmitters that were found to be deficient, were measurably deficient.⠀
⠀
For patients who are wanting a more accurate reading, paid testing can be sent away for. Nutripath offer Advanced and Intermediate Neurotransmitter testing which is assessed via a patients urine and can be done in the comfort of your own home. ⠀
⠀
Get in touch for more information: mjanewellness@gmail.com
コメント