14 DAY TRIAL // According to the results of a new medical research, it would appear that seeking treatment for depression has positive, long-term consequences on human health. The work also revealed that only about 50 percent of all patients suffering from this condition receive medical care.
This happens because not all those who are depressed go see their doctors about their condition. Rather, they prefer to disregard the affliction, and try to carry on with their lives as if everything were normal.
But this type of behavior is damaging from two perspectives. First, it leaves depression alone to develop in its more severe forms. Second, it deprives patients of the positive effects that the new investigation demonstrated depression treatments have.
These conclusions belong to a scientific review of a long-running national population health study. The work was carried out by experts at the University of Alberta, in Canada, PsychCentral reports.
The researchers were led by epidemiologist and researcher Ian Colman, who holds an appointment with the UA School of Public Health. The investigation he conducted is among the few quantifying the long-term health effects of using antidepressant medication.
He found that patients who used such drugs were 300 percent less likely to be depressed 8 years after they began the treatment than individuals who were depressed, but did not take medication.
This study is important to the field because most other works of this nature are focused on the short-term health benefits of antidepressants, while at the same time neglecting the long-term effects.
Due to the relative lack of studied in this regard, very little is known about these consequences, experts say. Though the new work is innovative, Coleman warns against assuming that the positive effects are the exclusive result of antidepressant medication.
“It’s more likely that results from the study speak to the importance of getting evidence-based treatment, drugs or other therapies, in the first place and treatments that ensure that all of your symptoms are resolved.” the investigator says.
“It’s common that depressed individuals will have a partial remission of symptoms where they feel better but some symptoms remain; those people have poor long-term outcomes,” Coleman adds.
“It’s important to have successful treatment that deals with all of your symptoms,” the expert concludes. The new study is published in the latest issue of the Journal of Psychiatric Research.