To Medicate or Not to Medicate? That is the question.

In managing depression, the answer quite often is to do both. When it comes to treating depressive illness and preventing its return, talking therapies and antidepressant medication work better together than either alone. A leading medical journal recently validated this point by reviewing research on more than 100,000 patients (1). Of the studies focusing on depression, researchers found that adding medication to counseling treatment reduced symptoms. Likewise, adding counseling to medication treatment reduced symptoms.

This should be no surprise. Research discussed in my prior blogs shows that psychotherapy and medication both change the brain. When a counselor says the right words and the counselee applies the right thinking, then brain chemistry may be rebalanced. From another perspective, when antidepressant medication corrects chemical imbalance, then healthier moods promote more effective participation in counseling.

Managing depression can be a long term proposition. As with any illness, keep searching for the right treatment or combination of treatments. Restore the chemical balance that facilitates good thinking with medication and develop healthier choice-patterns with psychotherapy. Remember that depression is an illness of body, mind, and spirit; and seek ways to care for each part of yourself.

1. Huhn, Maximilian and others. Efficacy of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy for adult psychiatric disorders: A systematic overview of meta-analyses. Journal of the American Medical Association – Psychiatry. Published online April 30, 2014.