#4060 When the Black Dog of Depression Won’t Let Go

Thursday, Octorber,17, 2024  10:10am - 12:00 pm

#4060 When the Black Dog of Depression Won’t Let Go

Instructor: John L Fleming, MD, DLFAPA, FCTMSS

Depression affects 20% of the world’s population and is the second leading cause of disability in the world
according to the World Health Organization. It is often very poorly understood and dismissed as either a matter
or chemical imbalance or hurt emotions. What are the biological causes of depression and what treatments are
available? Why do up to 1/3 of those with depression never get better? These and other topics will be explored
with a focus on what Winston Churchill called “The Black Dog of Depression.” Scientific advances in the study
of depression over the last quarter century will be examined including eight major causes ranging from
serotonin and glutamate deficits, brain inflammation and brain atrophy, large scale brain network dysfunction
and gut microbiome changes. Specific efforts to address these causes will also be discussed.

Dr. John Fleming: BA  from Yale and MD from the University of Colorado. Dr. Fleming has served on the faculty of two medical schools, graduate school faculty member in psychology and social work and has won numerous awards for his skills as a teacher. He currently teaches medical students. He is a Board-Certified psychiatrist, a Distinguished Life Fellow of the APA and a Fellow of the Clinical TMS Society. He received his BA cum laude from Yale and his MD summa cum laude from the University of Colorado. His professional background includes 45 years of private practice in psychotherapy and
psychopharmacology and over a decade as a consultant and speaker for multiple pharmacology companies in the USA, Europe and the Middle East.

Dr. Fleming has received specialized training in genetic testing, EEG biomarker-guided medication selection,
brain SPECT scanning, and neuromodulation treatments for depression including TMS (Transcranial Magnetic
Stimulation), EEG guided TMS, and Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) treatments.