There's a trend toward increasing use of antidepressants and away from psychotherapy, according to a new survey.

Researchers in the US have compared how people's treatment for depression changed from 1987 to 1997. The rate of outpatient treatment for depression increased from 0.73 per 100 persons to 2.33 per 100 over this time. The proportion of those receiving drug treatment for depression increased from 37.3 per cent to 74.5 per cent - probably due to the introduction of new antidepressants with fewer side effects.

By contrast the number of patients receiving psychotherapy for depression declined from 71.1 per cent to 60.2 per cent. Physicians now seem to be more involved in depression treatment - in 1997 87.3 per cent are treated in primary care, compared to 68.9 per cent in 1987. This may be the reason why medication is being preferred over psychotherapy - physicians may feel more confident giving out a prescription than offering therapy. This is fine, so long as people get better, but more effort could perhaps be made to give patients a choice of treatments for depression.

Source

Journal of the American Medical Association January 9 2002