Patients who choose depression treatment do better

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Allowing depressed patients to
select their own treatment — drug therapy, counseling or a
combination of both — may improve outcomes, researchers in
Seattle report.

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.

Co-author Dr. Edmund F. Chaney said in a statement: “The
positive impact of treatment was more noticeable in the early
stages of treatment. Although we can’t say for certain, it
might be that the preference-matched patients were better able
to stick with the treatment plan in the early stages.”

SOURCE: Annals of Behavioral Medicine, October 2005.