Sweeping Study Settles Hot Debate Over Whether Antidepressants Even Work, Researchers Say
In general, newer antidepressants tend to be better tolerated due to fewer side effects, while the most effective drug in terms of reducing depressive symptoms was amitriptyline -- a drug first discovered in the 1950s.
Reuters:
Study Seeks To End Antidepressant Debate-The Drugs Do Work
A vast research study that sought to settle a long-standing debate about whether or not anti-depressant drugs really work has found they are indeed effective in relieving acute depression in adults. The international study - a meta-analysis pooling results of 522 trials covering 21 commonly-used antidepressants and almost 120,000 patients - uncovered a range of outcomes, with some drugs proving more effective than others and some having fewer side effects. (Kelland, 2/22)
Modern Healthcare:
Treatment-Resistant Depression Doubles Patient Healthcare Costs
Patients with major depression that is difficult to treat with traditional antidepressants have higher average costs for mental healthcare and non-mental healthcare compared with those who do respond to medication, and researchers say more should be done to curb those costs. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry on Wednesday found that roughly 16% of patients with major depression have a treatment-resistant form of the disorder and do not respond to two or more antidepressants. That can cost an average of more than $17,000 per year in healthcare expenditures, compared with $9,700 among non-treatment-resistant-depression patients. (Johnson, 2/21)
