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By Drog (Canada), Section United States of America
A new study published in the April archives of General Psychiatry challenges the widely accepted idea that drugs are the only effective, initial treatment for major depression.
According to WebMD Health, the findings do not support current guidelines from the American Psychiatric Association, which state that most moderately to severely depressed patients require treatment with antidepressant drugs. Instead, the study shows that cognitive therapy, a type of talk therapy that involves changing a person's negative thought patterns, can be just as effective as medications.
In the initial study, 240 moderately to severely depressed patients were divided into three treatment groups. 120 were treated with the antidepressant Paxil along with either lithium or the trycyclic antidepressant desipramine, if needed, 60 were treated with a placebo pill, and 60 were treated with cognitive therapy. Researchers found that the response rates were similar for both treatment groups.
A follow-up study including 104 of the same patients showed that relapse after withdrawal from treatment may be a bigger problem for patients treated with drugs than for those who receive cognitive therapy. The American Psychiatric Association has concured that the study was "strong" and "rigorously designed" and will be considered when they revise their treatment guidelines in the future. The guidelines were last updated five years ago. They questioned, however, whether the depressed patients in the study were truly representative of people with major depression, since those with psychosis were excluded from the study, even though many who suffer from major depression are also psychotic. They also questioned whether those seeking cognitive therapy in the general community can get the same level of care as the study's participants. Advertisement
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Therapy Just As Good As Drugs For Depression | 3 comments (3 topical, 1 hidden)
Therapy Just As Good As Drugs For Depression | 3 comments (3 topical, 1 hidden)
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