According to Reuters Health, patients who choose what type of treatment they receive for their depression do better. Well, not really (the headline is misleading).
The study actually shows that patients who choose their own treatment modality (drug treatment only, psychotherapy only, or combined) do fairly equally as well, but those who choose get better faster. And is this really all that surprising? We know ourselves best (believe it or not!), and we’re going to be happiest (and the most treatment-compliant) when we get what we think we need.
The findings are based on a study of 335 adult with a clinical diagnosis of depression. The subjects were surveyed regarding their preferred therapy and this was compared with the actual treatment received.
Dr. Susan C. Hedrick, from the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, and colleagues, conducted telephone interviews to assess changes in functional status, severity of depression, disability, and other health outcomes at 1 week, 3 months, and 9 months.
Fifteen percent of patients preferred medication alone and these subjects were older and more likely to be white and married compared with the 24 percent who preferred just counseling or the 60 percent who preferred both, the report indicates.
Overall, 72 percent of the subjects received treatment that matched their preference, the investigators report in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine.
Although depression symptoms improved among patients in both groups, those who received a preferred treatment experienced more rapid improvements than those who received a therapy not matching their preference.
From the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, October 2005.
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