Study: Antidepressants do not show the desired effect in the long term

Antidepressants are the primary method of treating moderate to severe depression. Its application makes people feel better and equips them more easily for everyday life. But a new study shows that antidepressants aren’t associated with a better quality of life over the long term.

The study, published in the journal PLOS One, used data from a 10-year longitudinal study that tracked the health services used by Americans, including people diagnosed with a depressive disorder. The study diagnosed more than 17 million Americans with the disease, 57% of whom were on antidepressants.

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The study analyzed the effects of antidepressants on the psychological and physical aspects of the patients. The former analyzed social functioning and psychological well-being, while the latter related to pain, energy levels, and the like.

The results show that taking antidepressants was associated with an improvement in the psychological portion of the survey. However, when the researchers compared these results to people with depression who were not taking antidepressants, the differences were negligible, especially after measuring these statistics again two years later.

The researchers make it clear that more studies are needed and that there were some caveats in this recent study, such as not being able to separate the different degrees of depression and how it varies from person to person. Rather than advising people to stop taking their antidepressants, they advise researchers to look further into the topic.

“Although we continue to need our patients with depression to take their antidepressants, long-term studies evaluating the true impact of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions on the quality of life of these patients are needed,” the authors explain. “Against this background, the role of cognitive and behavioral interventions in the long-term management of depression needs to be further evaluated in order to improve the ultimate goal of care for these patients. Improving their overall quality of life.”

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While it is clear that antidepressants play a key role in the lives of people struggling with depression, there is still much that is not understood about them, particularly when it comes to people’s long-term quality of life.