With antidepressant medications on the top selling list of prescription medications in the United States, the results of a study published in 2005 may not be welcomed with open arms. An article published in the Archives of General Psychiatry found that for the treatment of moderate to severe depression, cognitive therapy is just as effective as prescription medications. In fact, the effects of this type of psychotherapy extend beyond that of medication.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Vanderbilt University enrolled 104 patients with moderate to severe depression, who had responded to cognitive therapy (CT) in a randomized controlled trial. These patients were withdrawn from therapy and then compared to medication responders who either continued with medication or received placebo for 12 months. They found that "patients withdrawn from CT were significantly less likely to relapse during continuation than patients withdrawn from medications and no more likely to relapse than patients who kept taking continuation medication". They concluded, "Cognitive therapy has an enduring effect that extends beyond the end of treatment. It seems to be as effective as keeping patients on medication."
What this study shows is that medication is not the only answer to treating depression and cognitive therapy may actually be a superior treatment approach. More emphasis needs to be placed on cognitive therapy recommendations for patients suffering form depression that is moderate to severe, especially since these medications have so many adverse effects associated with them.
Posted by Dr. Jennifer Stagg on August 30, 2006 12:10 PM
