Psychotherapy plus antidepressant medication
• the ideal solution for therapeutic success •
Depression, Anxiety and Stress are the most commonly used words in the last 20 years and started to become increasingly more common especially for people whose lifestyle is damaged due to their jobs , family and couple problems, and other traumas or associated comorbidities. Moreover, the World Health Organization forecast shows that by 2020 depression will become the 2nd leading cause of morbidity worldwide after cardiovascular diseases. Currently, the disease affects about 121 million people worldwide. In Romania , it was found a significant increase in major depressive episode with age, from 2.1 % – 2.6% ( 18-49 years) 4.4% – 5.2 % (over 50 years ).
Therefore, in some cases, multidisciplinary intervention is imminent. The combination of psychotherapy and drug therapy is often the ideal solution in addressing cases of depression and anxiety. According to medical practice guidelines published by APA (American Psychiatric Association) in October 2010, the combination of psychotherapy and antidepressant medication may be used as an initial treatment for patients with moderate to severe major depressive disorder. In addition, combining psychotherapy and medication may be a useful initial treatment even in milder cases for patients with psychosocial, interpersonal problems or intra-psychic conflict.
A study counting 100 patients with depression showed that only 29 were successfully treated with antidepressant drugs , only 47 were cured with psychotherapy and 47 were given the success of both psychotherapy and antidepressant therapy.
The responsibility for an early diagnosis and intervention, adapted and customized for each individual needs the collaboration of both the professional psychiatrists and the individuals who are struggling with the first symptoms.
Source:
http://psychiatryonline.org/pb/assets/raw/sitewide/practice_guidelines/guidelines/mdd.pdf