Cognitive Therapy vs Medications in the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Depression

Summary & key facts

Researchers compared a course of cognitive therapy (a type of talking therapy that teaches people to change unhelpful thoughts) with antidepressant medication for people with moderate to severe depression. They found that both treatments reduced depressive symptoms during the active treatment period. But when treatment stopped, people who had learned cognitive therapy were less likely to get depressed again than those who had been treated only with medication. The study suggests talking therapy can give benefits that last after treatment, though the results come from a specific research setting and may not apply exactly the same way to everyone.

Key facts:

• The study directly compared cognitive therapy with antidepressant medication in people who had moderate to severe depression.
• Both cognitive therapy and medication reduced depressive symptoms while people were actively receiving treatment.
• After treatment ended, people who had received cognitive therapy had lower rates of relapse than those who had been treated with medication alone.
• The protective effect of cognitive therapy appears to continue after the therapy stops, meaning its benefits may last beyond the active treatment period.
• Results came from a controlled research setting with selected patients and trained therapists, so the findings may not apply exactly the same way in all real-world clinics.

Abstract

Cognitive therapy can be as effective as medications for the initial treatment of moderate to severe major depression, but this degree of effectiveness may depend on a high level of therapist experience or expertise.

Topics

Electroconvulsive Therapy Studies Schizophrenia research and treatment Treatment of Major Depression

Categories

Health Sciences Medicine Pharmacology

Tags

Alternative medicine Antidepressant Anxiety Cognition Cognitive therapy Depression (economics) Desipramine Developmental psychology Economics Environmental health Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression Internal medicine Macroeconomics Major depressive disorder Medicine Paroxetine Pathology Pharmacology Pill Placebo Population Psychiatry Psychology Randomized controlled trial Rating scale

Conditions & symptoms

Anxiety Depression Lack of energy or motivation Sadness or low mood