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Professor develops six-step program to cure depression

By Kristen Liszewski

Sunday, June 14, 2009

In his book, “The Depression Cure”, published June 1, Stephen Ilardi, associate professor of clinical psychology, said the most effective way to cure depression was to make just a few simple changes to daily lifestyles and habits.

Ilardi used Therapeutic Lifestyle Change, or TLC, a research program on depression conducted by him and his colleagues at the University, to write the book. TLC combines six primitive lifestyle elements — exercise, omega 3 fatty acids, sunlight exposure, anti-rumination strategies, social support and sleep hygiene — to help heal victims of depression.

“I noticed across the globe that depression rates are higher in urbanized places, about one-in-four now,” Ilardi said. “So I thought, ‘What’s different about the way were living now?’”

Ilardi used historical evidence from published studies on the detection of diseases in large populations to show the differences in today’s lifestyles and those a century ago. He also compared modern society to cultures that reflect a simpler way of life. For example, the American Amish have depression rates much lower than the larger American population.

Ilardi also used evidence from the Kaluli people of New Guinea, a population of about 2,000, where anthropologist Edward Schieffelin found only a small amount of depression symptoms in one person. These studies ultimately showed Ilardi that modern society’s lack of the primitive lifestyle elements have ushered in a vulnerability to depression.

Ilardi said people were willing to take the TLC approach because the six elements were all part of the world we were originally designed for.

“Our environment has mutated and so we need to be very clever about how to bring these elements back in the 21st century,” Ilardi said.

One of the main focuses in “The Depression Cure” is how to bring these elements back into modern-day life. Ilardi suggested a prescriptive dose for each element. For example, he recommended people get at least 30 minutes of bright light exposure each day and increase their dosage of omega-3 fatty acid supplements. He said the TLC program was designed to re-focus people’s natural habits away from the high-stress, sleep-deprived lifestyles they lead today.

Ilardi’s research can be found not only in his book, but also in the classroom.

Danielle Hagen, Hillsboro senior, said Ilardi was one of the most engaging professors she had had. She said Ilardi incorporated the TLC program into a class discussion one day, describing omega-3 supplements, which promote better health. Hagen said Ilardi’s research showed that the vitamins were beneficial, so she began using them.

“He really loves the omega-3 element,” Hagen said. “He was so intense and excited about it that he convinced me to start taking the vitamins. Now my whole family does, because it really works.”

— — Edited by Justin Hilley

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