Depression in Neurodegenerative Diseases

The research we are discussing on this 1-hour episode really drives home the complex connection between depression and 3 neurodegenerative diseases:

1. Alzheimer’s Disease

2. Parkinson’s Disease

3. Huntington Disease

Even though depression has a high comorbidity with all of these diseases, you’ll learn why it should not be an assumed part of the disease process. Instead, depression should be recognized as distinct and treated.

But, here’s where it gets super complex:

In some cases the medications traditionally used to help treat depression do not work for this population—and can be actively harmful. So, OT approaches like environmental enrichment and physical exercise could actually be the front line defense for helping these patients manage their depression.

To unpack all of this, I am so thankful to be joined on the podcast next week with dementia care expert, Rachel Wiley, MS, OTR/L, CDP.

1. You will be able to recognize the evidence-supported OT interventions for depression in Alzheimer’s.

2. You will be able to identify the evidence-supported OT interventions for depression in Parkinson’s and Huntington’s Disease.

• Intro

• Breakdown and analysis of journal article

  • Quick intro to Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

  • Depression and Neurodegenerative Diseases

  • What causes depression?

  • What are the mechanisms behind neurodegenerative disease?

  • Discussion

  • Conclusion

  • Takeaways for OT practitioners

• Discussion on practical implications for OTs (with Rachel Wiley)

  1. Tell us how you first found OT

  2. What drew you into dementia care and what are you doing now?

  3. What were your initial impressions of this article?

  4. Do you screen for and discuss depression symptoms and suicidal ideation with patients?

  5. Exercise was mentioned consistently as a treatment option. How can OTs address exercise with patients?

  6. The article also mentioned “environmental enrichment” multiple times as a treatment option- what opportunities do you see for OTs there?

  7. Do you talk about sleep and diet with your patients?

  8. Depression is difficult to talk about. How can we support carepartners when their loved one is experiencing depression + a neurodegenerative disease?

  9. What practical advice do you have for taking a multidisciplinary approach to complex situations, like we’ve talked about today?

  10. Are there any other considerations for OTs working with patients with depression in neurodegenerative diseases that were not mentioned in the article?

Primary

• Depression in neurodegenerative diseases: Common mechanisms and current treatment options

Additional

• Occupational therapy for people with dementia and their family carers provided at home: A systematic review and meta-analysis

• Nonpharmacological interventions to improve depression, anxiety, and quality of life (QOL) in people with dementia: An overview of systematic reviews

It is the policy of OT Potential to disclose any financial and non-financial interest the provider or instructor may have in a product or service mentioned during an activity. This is to ensure that the audience is made aware of any bias of the speaker.

OT Potential pays guest speakers an honorarium for their participation, either directly or to an institution of the speaker's choosing at their request. We invite guests whose expertise often comes from practices, programs, or building products in their field. Where a speaker has a financial interest in the subject of a course, we disclose it below so you can weigh it for yourself.

OT Potential's interest in this topic: We have no financial stake in this topic.

Speaker interests: Rachel Wiley is founder and owner of Day By Day Dementia Consulting and the Dementia Collaborative LLC. She teaches the Skills2Care dementia program and takes a salary from the Dementia Collaborative for that work.