Depression is one of the most common mood disorders that negatively impacts the lives of individuals and families throughout the world. Common depression treatment methods have always been centered around the use of antidepressant medication prescribed by a doctor. These are often intended for short term use and under a doctors supervision.

However, there are concerns about the antidepressants effectiveness rate when used long-term, side effects and if they can add to a persons quality of life.

Medication for depression can be of measurable benefit for some individuals to provide short term mood regulation and stability. But the long-term effects are not yet quite observed or understood.

A new study published in the journal PLOS One suggests that the long-term use of anti-depressive medication (antidepressants) may not be adding to the overall quality of life for a person with depression.

The findings certainly raises more questions about how to best utilize medication in combination with other therapies into a more comprehensive plan of care.

The study concluded that those who were on antidepressant medication for longer periods of time did not show a higher quality of life than those who were depressed and didn’t take the medication.

Antidepressants and Depression

Only a doctor can diagnose and prescribe an antidepressant medication for depression. The specific symptoms a person must display need to be present for two weeks or more.

Some of the symptoms or signs of depression may include:

• Low or lack of energy and constant fatigue

• a change in appetite and loss of weight

• a lack of interest in pleasurable activities

• suicidal thoughts

• being negative and pessimistic

• feelings of guilt and hopelessness

Some or all of these feelings can lead a person to have difficulty making decisions and focusing on daily tasks.

Most of the medications a doctor prescribes for depression are from a group of (SSRI), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors which work to increase serotonin and epinephrine levels in the brain. This group of medication can help many with depression manage their condition. But, over time can bring with them many side effects that last throughout treatment and reduce one’s overall quality of life.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “depression is a severe mood disorder that negatively impacts a persons ability to relate and interact with the world. Depression affects a persons feelings, thoughts, emotions and overall health and well being.”

The Study of Antidepressants on Quality of Life

The study looked at two groups of individuals with depression and divided them into: those who used medication and those who didn’t over the course of the study. Researches took into consideration the persons physical and mental health elements to make their determination.

The physical elements included levels of pain and other outlining physical conditions and limitations. The mental health component of the study focused on the social, emotional and psychological aspects of the condition.

The researchers in the study were interested in finding out if the antidepressant medication was improving a persons quality of life over longer periods of time. They took data from Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) files from 2005 - 2015, to identify depressed people to determine whether they took medication or not. Then, they used information gathered from a 2 year follow up to analyze data of the surveyed participants.

MEPS is a way of evaluation that doctors and employers use to help verify data from a self-reporting method used by the patients.

The findings of the study concluded that there were some components of mental health improvements in participants who used antidepressant medication.

However, they didn’t find any significant changes in the overall quality of life of the participants who took the medication from those who didn’t use them. These results demonstrate that antidepressant medication did not improve the overall long-term quality of life in those people who took them.

Study Conclusions and Other Limiting Factors

The study did not conclude that it was advisable to stop taking any antidepressant medication. Nor that medication for depression was in any way invaluable to some people. It suggests that there needs to be more conclusive research done on the long-term overall effectiveness of antidepressants on issues that deal with the quality of life.

The data from the study had it’s limitations. Like, taking into consideration when a person was first diagnosed, the severity and type of depression a person was suffering. The research team also noted that the U.S. sample population may have been underestimated.

According to the author of the study and assistant professor of clinical pharmacy at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia, “ Although we still need our patients with depression to continue using their antidepressant medications, long-term studies evaluating the actual impact of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions on these patients’ quality of life is needed.”

There appears to be a growing sentiment that the need to bring about broader research into the topic of depression care from one solely based in clinical medication, to one that is more inclusive. In an effort to steer away from a “one size fits all” approach that is adhered to year after year.

Patient care for the treatment of depression needs to be more individualized in the future to address the profound differences people show in their feelings, thoughts and struggles. Personalized treatment needs to include evidence-based, clinically driven solutions derived from a variety of alternative approaches.

I feel the study demonstrated that people with depression need more personalized care to include other modalities that would change how things are currently being done.

Therapies for depression that should be further studied and ultimately included are, neurofeedback, EMDR, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and other more creative therapies that would benefit those with depression and give patients nonpharmacological choices to compliment their medication.

- A Balanced Brain is a Happy Brain-