Comparing Talk Therapy and Other Depression Treatments With Antidepressant Medicines - Consumer Summary | AHRQ Effective Health Care Program

Comparing Talk Therapy and Other Depression Treatments With Antidepressant Medicines - Consumer Summary | AHRQ Effective Health Care Program

Consumer Summary – Sept. 13, 2016

Comparing Talk Therapy and Other Depression Treatments With Antidepressant Medicines

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Table of Contents

• Is This Information Right for Me?
• Understanding Your Condition
• Understanding Your Options
• Making a Decision
• Source

Is This Information Right for Me?

This information is right for you if:

• Your health care professional* said you have depression (also called "major depressive disorder").
• You are age 18 or older. This information is from research on adults.

* Your health care professional may include your primary care doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist, other therapist, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant.

This information is not right for you if:

• You are in the hospital because of your depression.
• You are a mother, and your depression started slightly before or after you gave birth.
• Your health care professional said you have any of these conditions:
  • Seasonal affective disorder (depression symptoms that happen only during the winter when there is less sunlight)
  • Dysthymia (mild depression on most days for at least 2 years)
  • Psychotic depression (depression that can cause you to see, hear, or believe things that are not real)
  • Bipolar depression (depression with severe mood swings)

This summary will answer these questions:

• What is depression?
• What have researchers found about how antidepressants compare with talk therapy (also called counseling) and other depression treatments (exercise programs, acupuncture, and dietary supplements)?
• What should I ask my health care professional about treating my depression?

What is the source of this information?

This information comes from a research report that was funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a Federal Government agency.

Researchers looked at 44 studies that compared antidepressants with other treatments for depression. The studies were published between January 1990 and January 2015. Health care professionals, researchers, experts, and the public gave feedback on the report before it was published.