Princeton, N.J., December 21, 1998 - Consumer Health Sciences (CHS), a consumer healthcare information company, recently found that herbal remedies are used as much, or more than prescription medications among individuals diagnosed with depression. 19% are using St. John's Wort, which is higher than any single anti-depressant prescription medication currently on the market.

The findings about depression and related product use are among the data reported by CHS in its Mental Health & Wellness Project, a national longitudinal survey of more than 1,900 individuals suffering from mental health problems. Of these respondents, 1,570 (80%) suffer from depression. The survey information can be instrumental in the development of new pharmaceutical therapies, disease management programs, patient and physician education programs, treatment guideline initiatives, and consumer marketing intelligence.

In addition to prescription and non-prescription product use, respondents were asked to provide information about:

• Use of healthcare services and employee assistance programs to help treat their depression;
• Use of alternative/complementary therapies - including homeopathic treatments, acupuncture, massage, spiritual healing, and diet changes;
• General well-being, physical health, and impact on families;
• Use of tobacco, alcohol, and smoking cessation therapies;
• Familiarity with advertising of brand name drugs and sources of healthcare information.

Widespread Use of Herbal Remedies:
Among the 1,570 Mental Health and Wellness Project respondents diagnosed with depression, 92 percent report using alternative/complementary therapies - including 42 percent who use herbal medicines. The most popular herbal remedies reported are St. John's Wort (19 %), Ginseng (18 %), and Gingko (17 %).

"These figures are particularly revealing because they show a larger percentage of respondents using St. John's Wort than any of the individual well-known, top selling anti-depressants such as Prozac, Paxil, or Zoloft," states Dr. Jane A. Donohue, President of CHS. Among respondents diagnosed with depression, the survey shows that Prozac is the most commonly used prescription medication (17%), followed by Paxil (16%) and Zoloft (14%).

Products	Percent of Respondents Reporting Use*
Herbal:
St. John's Wort	19%
Ginseng	18%
Gingko	17%
Valerian	8%
Kava	4%
Prescription:
Prozac	17%
Paxil	16%
Zoloft	14%
Effexor	8%
Wellbutrin	7%

* More than one response accepted

Potential for Dangerous Drug Interactions:
Another finding of the Mental Health & Wellness Project is that 13% of depressed respondents report using an anti-depressant in conjunction with use of St. John's Wort. According to Dr. Donohue, "The fact that there is such widespread use of herbal remedies should be of particular interest to mental health professionals and pharmaceutical manufacturers. In many instances, patients self-medicate with herbal remedies, such as St. John's Wort, while at the same time continuing to use prescription medications. The potential for dangerous drug interactions is a major concern. "

The Mental Health & Wellness Project data is maintained in a relational database and is immediately available from CHS. The information collected is intended to help healthcare marketers understand how products are being used, relative to patient demographics, level of distress, and symptomology.

Additional disease-specific, longitudinal surveys on Alzheimer's Disease, Diabetes, and Schizophrenia, as well as a National Health and Wellness Survey, are also available from CHS. For more information, contact Jeff Forringer at (609) 924-4455, ext. 104 or at Forringer@aol.com.

Consumer Health Sciences, LLC is a privately held company that specializes in providing consumer healthcare data from professionally designed surveys and expert data analysis. CHS originated the concept of providing specific consumer healthcare data to pharmaceutical industry decision-makers and it maintains the largest commercially available database in this area. The firm has become profitable in just two years, more than doubling its revenues between 1997 and 1998.