What is it about?
The increase in use of antidepressants is mostly due to long term use. In this study we observed that patients using antidepressant medication during psychotherapy had slower rate of improvement than patients not using medication. Long term use of antidepressants may have negative side effects contributing to depressed patients needing more time in therapy to improve compared to nonmedicated patients.
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Why is it important?
Many patients experience negative side effects from antidepressants, especially after long term use. Such use could contribute to worsening of depressive symptoms and may negatively influence responsivity to psychotherapy.
Perspectives
Antidepressant medication can be an effective treatment for depression but evidence is mixed when it comes to the benefits of staying on medication for long periods of time. Many stay on medication they no longer experience as beneficial because they fear stopping will make their depression even worse. When people seek out psychotherapy this cold provide an opportunity to explore whether continued medication is a viable way to combat long term depression or whether other options should be pursued in a safe environment and under the guidance of health care professionals.
Andreas Høstmælingen
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Use of antidepressant medication is associated with slower response to open-ended psychotherapy for depressed patients, Frontiers in Psychiatry, September 2025, Frontiers,
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1503848.
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